tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87589800242828889822018-03-06T07:56:12.727-05:00"We're all made of stars.""I sing in the reaches, we'll see what we find."Amanda Morrishttps://plus.google.com/101004080644576836367noreply@blogger.comBlogger158125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8758980024282888982.post-22791420971382683582018-01-01T21:49:00.002-05:002018-01-01T21:49:56.168-05:00Books in 2017Copy/pasted from my journal.&nbsp; Please excuse lack of grammar/spelling/punctuation/weird formatting/etc.<br /><br /><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SJ38lQWOEKw/WkryNnTS-KI/AAAAAAAADGs/jNYrQcpQlkcEGmhZQ1NCbzKg4PfIFNlTwCLcBGAs/s1600/tumblr_lpwx0s4PZn1qawywqo1_500.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="235" data-original-width="500" height="187" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SJ38lQWOEKw/WkryNnTS-KI/AAAAAAAADGs/jNYrQcpQlkcEGmhZQ1NCbzKg4PfIFNlTwCLcBGAs/s400/tumblr_lpwx0s4PZn1qawywqo1_500.gif" width="400" /></a>- Looking back at books that I read in 2017, like looking back to a year of memories and moments.&nbsp; Each book bringing back to that time and place.&nbsp; Here is 2017, a recap:<br /><br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:RelyOnVML/> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings></xml><![endif]--><br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> 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mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style><![endif]--> <br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">This year I read about HALF of what I usually read.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>What was I doing rather than reading?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Listening to podcasts rather than reading books, not finishing books, and going on dates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>(Oh, and writing a bit, too. But only a bit.)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="http://superduperspacewitch.blogspot.com/2017/01/books-i-read-in-2016.html">Books I Read in 2016 </a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><a name='more'></a> <br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Version Control by Dexter Palmer</span> <div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The best book I read all year, no question.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>This book was engaging, heartbreaking, wonderful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Maybe one of my top favorite books of all time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I could just really relate to the characters, not really to anyone specifically, but in the general “this is reality and I can relate to this” type way. Just a fabulous book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I actually hated pretty much every character, but that’s part of what I liked about it – the mastery to write a book with entirely unlikeable characters but still create an engaging story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The Celtic Twilight by WB Yeats </span> <div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">I was trying to get into Celtic stuff more early in 2017 and Patricia Monaghan talks about Yeats a lot, so I figured I’d read him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Not my fave, but glad to have read it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Charming, and good to read a “source material” that’s referenced so many times in other things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The Celtic thing didn’t really “stick” for me, but I tried.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Trigger Warnings by Neil Gaiman</span> <div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Fabulous and wonderful and terrifying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Another book that spoke to me for that time/place where I was when I read it (melancholy and anxious.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Gaiman continues to be one of my favorite writers of all-time ever, and this book was wonderful. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><a href="http://superduperspacewitch.blogspot.com/2017/02/letters-to-young-poet-8.html">Letters to a Young Poet by Rilke</a> <div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">A re-read from college.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Fascinating to return to something I read when I was 18 – the age of the “young poet”, and to be the age of Rilke while re-reading it!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Completely different perspective, to read it as a young woman and as a more mature individual.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I could relate to Rilke more, and that makes me feel like maybe I’m doing something right about this whole “adulthood” thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I love Rilke so much. I read a lot of his poems this year, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I think I should read more of him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I tend to not enjoy poetry, but he might be my fave poet. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The Red Haired Girl from the Bog by Patricia Monaghan </span> <div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The first time I started reading this book I did NOT like it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Meh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Another travel book of a woman with more money than me!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The envy was strong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The second time I started reading it, during the winter of 2016 with a lot of ice and snow, I liked it more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Reading this book in the winter is the way to go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>2017 was another winter of cold, and I finally finished it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Wonderful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Really solidified “Ireland” to me in a way I hadn’t quite understood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Might put it on my “recommended reading list” as a good source on Ireland, Celtic Paganism, and even Christo-Paganism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>This is a really magical book (without being a book about magic.)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><a href="http://superduperspacewitch.blogspot.com/2017/02/letters-to-young-poet-8.html">Sonnets to Orpheus and Duino Eligies by Rilke </a> <div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Sigh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Rilke.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Late in 2016 I met someone who made me want to read poetry and be sad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>So I read a lot of poetry and was sad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>But it was very beautiful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The Hellmouths of Brewdley by Tony Burgess</span> <div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Read because I watched the movie Pontypool many years ago, and wanted to read the book until I realized it was the second in a trilogy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I do this thing to myself where I have to read every book that goes with every movie, and if it’s in a series, well, then I’m just screwed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Hellmouths is STRANGE. and FUCKED UP. and SO FUCKING WEIRD.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I liked it, but it’s one of those books that I wonder if I should feel bad for reading it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Who reads this stuff?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Better yet, who WRITES it?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Curvy Girl Sex by Elle Chase</span> <div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">A sexy book for fat folks who want to feel sexy and be sexy and do sexy things. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Delta of Venus by Anais Nin</span> <div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">So… I LOVE Anais Nin, but she is STRANGE. and FUCKED UP. and SO FUCKING WEIRD.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>but her writing is beautiful, but it’s so strange?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>another one where I wonder if I should feel weird for liking it so much. but ah, that tragic beauty! </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Johnathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke</span> <div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">I started reading this book 1843789 years ago, and finally got to it this year, since I wanted to watch the series on Netflix.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Clarke plays the slooooowwww game, but this book really paid off in the end. I liked it, in general, and I’m glad I finally finally made time for it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The series was very good, too, a great interpretation of the book. Both are really beautiful. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"></span></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">True Porn Clerk Stories by Ali Davis</span> <div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Short vignettes about working in a video rental store that also rents/sells porn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Very interesting and also with content that I can relate to, as someone who has worked retail, in a video store, and has done writing for the adult industry. Was not amazing. Going into it I didn’t realize it was basically blog entries that were turned into a book?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>(like Waiter Rant, which I read a few years ago.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>at least it was short. Ali Davis makes some attempt at commentary and depth, but it falls short (like the book Orange is the New Black.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Good attempt, at least.)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho</span> <div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">I liked this book but I didn’t love it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I don’t think I’m a huge fan of Coelho, even though a lot of my new agey friends seem to LOVE him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I think I’m too jaded and too much of a nihilist. It was pretty, but… seriously, life is never this simple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Coehlo lacks subtlety and nuance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>There is no gray in his world. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood</span> <div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">A re-read, since I wanted to watch the mini-series (I never did because of my bad internet connection).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I read this in high school as a young woman who thought “this could never happen!” and then as an adult woman it was scary to think “wow, is this going to happen?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>There’s a scene where she gets up and goes to work and can’t use her cards for anything, because decisions were made literally overnight, and she basically overnight becomes a non-citizen. That was really scary to me. Lots about this book is scary to me. Atwood is amazing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I read her a lot in college and wonder if I should re-read (like Alias Grace, which I read and loved, which is also a new mini-series, too)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan </span> <div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">One of my pleasures is gastro-history or plant/food anthropology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I just love this stuff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>(The History of the World in Six Glasses or the book Salt)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I really enjoyed this book, especially the section on cannabis – not because I’m a pothead because I’m not, but because I’m really excited about the plant medicine possibilities with cannabis, both as a witchy person and as a psychotherapist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>There’s a lot of stuff here! Other sections included potatoes, tulips, and apples.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>(on standby – a book about bacon, a book about butter.)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"></span></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The Dark Tower III by Stephen King</span> <div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">A re-read from college!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Sometimes I’m just amazed at King’s ability to write SO MUCH about not really anything at all, but like, at the same time to paint this very detailed, complex, alive scene. He’s a master, for sure. Right now I’m in the middle of the 4<sup>th</sup> book and trying to decide if I want to jump right into #5 or read another fiction maybe look at something for work *yawn*</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">T</span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">emple of Shamanic Witchcraft by Christopher Penczak</span> <div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Meh!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>As part of the Gaia’s Circle special study group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Didn’t love it, though I do want to give him credit for a few exercises that I did enjoy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>In general I appreciate Chris Penczak, but I don’t adore him. when he’s good, he’s very very good. When he’s bad, he’s problematic and potentially dangerous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Also, Shamanism just isn’t really my thing…</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson </span> <div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">A class that I’m glad I got to. Easy to read, short.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The movies are not good. But it did help get me into a spooky mood for Halloween. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">This Book Is Full of Spiders by David Wong</span> <div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">I loved loved loved John Dies at the End (the movie was not good.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>This was great.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Really sweet, meaningful, tragic, touching. I have the third in the series on standby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>About this time in 2017 (August?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>September?) I was starting to dive deep into Lovecraft/body horror stuff, and this book fit right in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Ugh. That ending.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Also it was super creepy and gross, without being annoying. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"></span></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The Dream of Perpetual Motion by Dexter Palmer </span> <div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Sigh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>&lt;3<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I started this book in June, and didn’t finish it until the autumn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I did not love it as much as Version Control, but I knew that Steve would love it more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Perpetual Motion is his first novel, and in many ways, it reads like a first novel – bold, poetic, beautiful, strange.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Again, I hated all of the characters, but I appreciate the bold choices he made with his narrative.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>A tragic story, and masterfully written. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"></span></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Andre the Giant: Life and Legend by Box Brown</span> <div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">borrowed from a friend, a short graphic novel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Like most 80s kids I grew up loving Andre the Giant. was great to learn more about him, and I also remembered how much I adore graphic novels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>(I have some on standby that I really want to get to.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It was when I read this that I remembered how much I love reading, like, sitting down with a physical book and reading, and not just listening to audible or a podcast or a reading a few pages of something trashy on my phone, but sitting down on my sofa with hot tea and reading.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I’ve resolved to do more of this in 2018 – to intentionally read.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Tetris: the Games People Play by Box Brown</span> <div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Another graphic novel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Another graphic novel that plays off of 80s nostalgia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Who doesn’t love Tetris?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I play it a lot with my clients. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Necronomicon by HP Lovecraft</span> <div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Not THE Necronomicon, but a complication of a few dozen Lovecraft short stories and novellas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>This was an inclusion in my trend of Lovecraft/Body Horror.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Also watched the Fly, the Re-animator, and a few other spooky, kooky, and gross movies around this time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Some of these stories were great, some I just didn’t understand, and some were meh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I don’t love Lovecraft, but I do really admire the undoubted influence he has had on spooky kids everywhere. Maybe one day I’ll go through and read the ones that weren’t included in this collection, but it was so long, I was happy for the break when it was over. But the thing with short stories and novellas, I guess, is that I can take a break in between narratives (and at that time I listened to Welcome to Nightvale.)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">CBT &amp; DBT by James Ashley</span> <div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Yawn. At some point I thought I needed to take a break from fiction and read a work-related book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I am a CBT clinician, and I thought I could use a refresher.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>This book is poorly done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The first section is about some basic CBT stuff, which was useful I guess, but wow, the presentation was just super misogynistic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I resented the examples of “men’s stress is about women cheating or about work” and women’s stress is “being too fat or shopping too much.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Like, what?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>So the examples were super dependent on gender stereotypes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Yawn!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Also I feel like this perpetuates dangerous stereotypes about who goes to therapy and for which things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The middle section was basically an overview of different mental illnesses that could be treated with CBT, which was such as weird overview.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Is this book written for clinicians or patients?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Make up your mind, James Ashley!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Also, stuff like this is dangerous because folks start to self-diagnosing, which I have strong feelings AGAINST.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Finally, the last section was about DBT.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I guess?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>it was included as an afterthought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>So, in general, it was a decent review, but I found it to be sexist, insulting, and poorly compiled. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Welcome to Nightvale: a Novel by Joseph Fink and Jeffry Cranor</span> <div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Finally made it about halfway through the Nightvale podcast this October.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I had started it years ago, stopped, started it again in grad school, stopped, and again last December.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I finally stuck with it this year, and I’m all caught up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Thank goodness!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I really adored this book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It was sweet, and weird, and filled in a lot of the weird Nightvale lore that I had forgotten or that was never explained over the years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I can’t imagine it as a stand-alone novel, but maybe?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Also my head canon is still that Nightvale is Alamogordo, New Mexico.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>There are quite a few elements of the story that make me feel this way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>(Just like how the story John Dies at the End/This Book of Full of Spiders” makes me think of Lubbock, Texas. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The King in Yellow by Robert Chambers</span> <div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Another that has been on my list for years and year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Finally got to it this year, especially after so much Nighvale/Lovecraft/Weirdness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The first story starts off with a BANG, wow!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>From there it’s eehhhh… I hadn’t quite realized that the last part of the book was weird French romance stories about art students in Paris and the prostitutes they were in love with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>So, Chambers’ writing reminds me a ton of Anais Nin, so I kept on expecting the stories to turn weirdly erotic, OR, to become creepy like the first stories in the collection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>(MORE King In Yellow.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Admittedly, I’m a little sad that neither of these things happened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>BUT, in general, I liked the King in Yellow and glad I finally have that background so I understand the cool jokes the nerds/chaos magicians make.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"></span></span></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Daughter of Eden by Chris Beckett</span> <div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">I read Dark Eden two years ago, and Mother of Eden a year ago, both in December. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>I really adore this story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It’s strange and patriarchy and sometimes predictable, but beautiful and interesting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>This was my favorite out of the three, though the first was spectacular.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Given the context of the three books together, the second makes much more sense to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>A beautiful book, hard to put down, and quite unlike any other sci fi I’ve read.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It’s refreshing to read something science fiction that isn’t “Cold War Fiction.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>(but this one is still rather colonial, in its own way.)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">honorable mentions: a lot of <a href="http://superduperspacewitch.blogspot.com/2017/02/letters-to-young-poet-8.html">Rilke</a>, Yeates, Welcome to Nightvale, and Social Work Podcast, the Tibetan book of the Dead, Goddess Alive!, Alice Isn’t Dead, The Romeo Catchers, the Last Temptation of Christ, and a handful of other books half read and also forgotten</span></div>Amanda Morrishttps://plus.google.com/101004080644576836367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8758980024282888982.post-91550718693415773722017-02-08T23:35:00.001-05:002017-02-08T23:35:33.622-05:00Letters to a Young Poet (#8)<div align="right">Borgeby gard, Fladie, Sweden<br /> August 12, 1904</div><div align="right"><br /></div>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I want to talk to you again for a little while, dear Mr. Kappus, although there is almost nothing I can say that will help you, and I can hardly find one useful word. You have had many sadnesses, large ones, which passed. And you say that even this passing was difficult and upsetting for you. But please, ask yourself whether these large sadnesses haven't rather gone right through you. Perhaps many things inside you have been transformed; perhaps somewhere, someplace deep inside your being, you have undergone important changes while you were sad. <b>The only sadnesses that are dangerous and unhealthy are the ones that we carry around in public in order to drown them out with the noise</b>; like diseases that are treated superficially and foolishly, they just withdraw and after a short interval break out again all the more terribly; and gather inside us and are life, are life that is unlived, rejected, lost, life that we can die of. If only it were possible for us to see farther than our knowledge reaches, and even a little beyond the outworks of our presentiment, perhaps we would bear our sadnesses with greater trust than we have in our joys. <b>For they are the moments when something new has entered us, something unknown; our feelings grow mute in shy embarrassment, everything in us withdraws, a silence arises, and the new experience, which no one knows, stands in the midst of it all and says nothing.</b><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <b><span style="font-size: large;">It seems to me that almost all our sadnesses are moments of tension, which we feel as paralysis because we no longer hear our astonished emotions living.</span></b> Because we are alone with the unfamiliar presence that has entered us; because everything we trust and are used to is for a moment taken away from us; because <b>we stand in the midst of a transition where we cannot remain standing</b>. That is why the sadness passes: the new presence inside us, the presence that has been added, has entered our heart, has gone into its innermost chamber and is no longer even there, is already in our bloodstream. And we don't know what it was. We could easily be made to believe that nothing happened, and yet we have changed, as a house that a guest has entered changes. We can't say who has come, perhaps we will never know, but many signs indicate that the future enters us in this way in order to be transformed in us, long before it happens. <b>And that is why it is so important to be solitary and attentive when one is sad:</b> because the seemingly uneventful and motionless moment when our future steps into us is so much closer to life than that other loud and accidental point of time when it happens to us as if from outside. <b>The quieter we are, the more patient and open we are in our sadnesses, the more deeply and serenely the new presence can enter us, and the more we can make it our own, the more it becomes our fate; </b>and later on, when it "happens" (that is, steps forth out of us to other people), we will feel related and close to it in our innermost being. And that is necessary. It is necessary - and toward this point our development will move, little by little - that nothing alien happen to us, but only what has long been our own. People have already had to rethink so many concepts of motion; and they will also gradually come to realize that what we call fate does not come into us from the outside, but emerges from us. It is only because so many people have not absorbed and transformed their fates while they were living in them that they have not realized what was emerging from them; it was so alien to them that, in their confusion and fear, they thought it must have entered them at the very moment they became aware of it, for they swore they had never before found anything like that inside them. just as people for a long time had a wrong idea about the sun's motion, they are even now wrong about the motion of what is to come. <b><span style="font-size: large;">The future stands still, dear Mr. Kappus, but we move in infinite space.</span></b><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; How could it not be difficult for us?<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; And to speak of solitude again, it becomes clearer and clearer that fundamentally this is nothing that one can choose or refrain from. We are solitary. We can delude ourselves about this and act as if it were not true. That is all. But how much better it is to recognize that we are alone; yes, even to begin from this realization. It will, of course, make us dizzy; for all points that our eyes used to rest on are taken away from us, there is no longer anything near us, and everything far away is infinitely far. A man taken out of his room and, almost without preparation or transition, placed on the heights of a great mountain range, would feel something like that: an unequalled insecurity, an abandonment to the nameless, would almost annihilate him. He would feel he was falling or think he was being catapulted out into space or exploded into a thousand pieces: what a colossal lie his brain would have to invent in order to catch up with and explain the situation of his senses. That is how all distances, all measures, change for the person who becomes solitary; many of these changes occur suddenly and then, as with the man on the mountaintop, unusual fantasies and strange feelings arise, which seem to grow out beyond all that is bearable. But it is necessary for us to experience that too. <b><span style="font-size: large;">We must accept our reality as vastly as we possibly can; everything, even the unprecedented, must be possible within it. This is in the end the only kind of courage that is required of us: the courage to face the strangest, most unusual, most inexplicable experiences that can meet u</span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><b>s</b></span>. The fact that people have in this sense been cowardly has done infinite harm to life; the experiences that are called it apparitions, the whole so-called "spirit world," death, all these Things that are so closely related to us, have through our daily defensiveness been so entirely pushed out of life that the senses with which we might have been able to grasp them have atrophied. To say nothing of God. But the fear of the inexplicable has not only impoverished the reality of the individual; it has also narrowed the relationship between one human being and another, which has as it were been lifted out of the riverbed of infinite possibilities and set down in a fallow place on the bank, where nothing happens. For it is not only indolence that causes human relationships to be repeated from case to case with such unspeakable monotony and boredom; it is timidity before any new, inconceivable experience, which we don't think we can deal with. But only someone who is ready for everything, who doesn't exclude any experience, even the most incomprehensible, will live the relationship with another person as something alive and will himself sound the depths of his own being. For if we imagine this being of the individual as a larger or smaller room, it is obvious that most people come to know only one corner of their room, one spot near the window, one narrow strip on which they keep walking back and forth. In this way they have a certain security. And yet how much more human is the dangerous in security that drives those prisoners in Poe's stories to feel out the shapes of their horrible dungeons and not be strangers to the unspeakable terror of their cells. We, however, are not prisoners. No traps or snares have been set around us, and there is nothing that should frighten or upset us. We have been put into life as into the element we most accord with, and we have, moreover, through thousands of years of adaptation, come to resemble this life so greatly that when we hold still, through a fortunate mimicry we can hardly be differentiated from everything around us. <b><span style="font-size: large;">We have no reason to harbor any mistrust against our world, for it is not against us. If it has terrors, they are <i>our </i>terrors; if it has abysses, these abysses belong to <i>us</i>; if there are dangers, we must try to love them.</span></b> And if only we arrange our life in accordance with the principle which tells us that we must always trust in the difficult, then what now appears to us as the most alien will become our most intimate and trusted experience. How could we forget those ancient myths that stand at the beginning of all races, the myths about dragons that at the last moment are transformed into princesses? <b>Perhaps all the dragons in our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us act, just once, with beauty and courage<span style="font-size: large;">. Perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deepest essence, something helpless that wants our love.</span></b><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; So you mustn't be frightened, dear Mr. Kappus, if a sadness rises in front of you, larger than any you have ever seen; if an anxiety, like light and cloud-shadows, moves over your hands and over everything you do. You must realize that something is happening to you, that life has not forgotten you, that it holds you in its hand and will not let you fall. Why do you want to shut out of your life any uneasiness, any misery, any depression, since after all you don't know what work these conditions are doing inside you? Why do you want to persecute yourself with the question of where all this is coming from and where it is going? Since you know, after all, that you are in the midst of transitions and you wished for nothing so much as to change. If there is anything unhealthy in your reactions, just bear in mind that sickness is the means by which an organism frees itself from what is alien; so one must simply help it to be sick, to have its whole sickness and to break out with it, since that is the way it gets better. In you, dear Mr. Kappus, so much is happening now; you must be patient like someone who is sick, and confident like some one who is recovering; for perhaps you are both. And more: you are also the doctor, who has to watch over himself. But in every sickness there are many days when the doctor can do nothing but wait. And that is what you, insofar as you are your own doctor, must now do, more than anything else.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Don't observe yourself too closely. Don't be too quick to draw conclusions from what happens to you; simply let it happen. Otherwise it will be too easy for you to look with blame (that is: morally) at your past, which naturally has a share in everything that now meets you. But whatever errors, wishes, and yearnings of your boyhood are operating in you now are not what you remember and condemn. The extraordinary circumstances of a solitary and helpless childhood are so difficult, so complicated, surrendered to so many influences and at the same time so cut off from all real connection with life that, where a vice enters it, one may not simply call it a vice. One must be so careful with names anyway; it is so often the name of an offense that a life shatters upon, not the nameless and personal action itself, which was perhaps a quite definite necessity of that life and could have been absorbed by it without any trouble. And the expenditure of energy seems to you so great only because you overvalue victory; it is not the "great thing" that you think you have achieved, although you are right about your feeling; the great thing is that there was already something there which you could replace that deception with, something true and real. Without this even your victory would have been just a moral reaction of no great significance; but in fact it has be come a part of your life. Your life, dear Mr. Kappus, which I think of with so many good wishes. Do you remember how that life yearned out of childhood toward the "great thing"? I see that it is now yearning forth beyond the great thing toward the greater one. That is why it does not cease to be difficult, but that is also why it will not cease to grow.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; And if there is one more thing that I must say to you, it is this: Don't think that the person who is trying to comfort you now lives untroubled among the simple and quiet words that sometimes give you pleasure. His life has much trouble and sadness, and remains far behind yours. If it were otherwise, he would never have been able to find those words.<br /> <br /><blockquote> <blockquote> <blockquote> Yours,<br /> Rainer Maria Rilke<br /> </blockquote></blockquote></blockquote>Amanda Morrishttps://plus.google.com/101004080644576836367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8758980024282888982.post-12441048547404948192017-02-01T11:22:00.003-05:002017-02-01T11:22:35.282-05:00How to Care for an Empath<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JpZW0evqASc/WJILIv-m5DI/AAAAAAAAC9k/N9HOb3X8Mg8SzAYovpLBd0RYD_-vjEQqACLcB/s1600/IMG_8283.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JpZW0evqASc/WJILIv-m5DI/AAAAAAAAC9k/N9HOb3X8Mg8SzAYovpLBd0RYD_-vjEQqACLcB/s400/IMG_8283.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(nearly every empath I've ever met)</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">(this was originally posted as an article for an online paranormal magazine I wrote for. &nbsp;The magazine is no longer updated, my content is no longer available, so I'm posting it here because I think folks will find the content useful at this time!)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I am not an empath.</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp; </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’m pretty dense.</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp; </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’m like a rock when it comes to energy.</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp; </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’m not made of lead, but I might be pumice.</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp; </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Some stuff can get through, but not a lot.</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp; </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’m a little rough around the edges, but I have lots of friends and family who are like sponges – they suck everything up around them, positive or negative, neutral or chaotic.</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp; </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">They feel it </span><i style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">all</i><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">, and they often feel it with ferocity.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">It’s usually when the empaths around me start feeling stuff that I start feeling stuff, too.&nbsp; In my experience, empaths can sometimes act like amplifiers to the mood and general energetic feel of a moment. &nbsp;So that means if an empath isn’t having a good time, no one in a mile radius is going to have a good time. &nbsp;Or similarly, if an empath is bouncing off the wall, it might be no time at all before the whole room is going spastic.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">I first realized the power of emotional energy when a former friend of mine was having a hard time. &nbsp;She’d come to my house and cry and cry and cry and after a few months of this we all were exasperated with her. &nbsp;Sure, we felt bad about her situation, but it had reached such an extreme low that we all were going down with her. &nbsp;One time, a 100% mundane, ordinary friend walked into the house right after this girl had finally gone home for the evening. &nbsp;We were all busy on the computer or doing homework, minding our own business when he walked in, stood at the door, and exclaimed “wow, the energy in here is just terrible! What the hell is going on?”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Even as a "non-believer" he knew something was up. &nbsp;I often find myself in this position, and sometimes it can be exhausting, or even annoying. &nbsp;So what can a non-empath do when dealing with empaths? &nbsp;Here are some things that have helped me when dealing with highly-sensitive friends and family. &nbsp;Maybe some of this will help you, and maybe you have some stuff to share as well!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"></div><ul><li>Eat some food, not just sugar. <span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sugar will help replenish energy, but you need something more substantial. </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Eat something with some fat and especially some protein. </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The protein will help ground you.</span></li></ul><ul><li>Drink water. <span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Don’t drink soda. </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Don’t drink tea. </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Drink water. </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Drink a lot of it. </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">If you are doing something that is energetically stimulating or draining, drink a glass of water before starting and drink a lot more after.</span></li></ul><ul><li>Wash your face. <span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">This will refresh you and clear your energy. </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">It feels good. </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">It’s a re-set button.</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp; </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">When I am feeling energetically unclean, I splash cold water on my face three times, rubbing around my eyes and nose and especially on my forehead. </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Washing your face and hands in cool water works wonders.</span></li></ul><ul><li>Carry hematite or some other grounding stone. <span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Keep in mind that hematite is said to bounce energy back to the sender, so while it’s grounding it might not be the best to neutralize energy. Some recommend onyx or obsidian.</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp; </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Try a few different stones and see what works best for you in different situations.</span></li></ul><ul><li>Touch the ground with your bare feet. <span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp;</span></li></ul><ul><li>Take three deep breaths.</li></ul><ul><li>Knock on wood or on the bare earth. Touch your finger-tips to wood or to the soil.</li></ul><ul><li>Don’t let your empath-friends get carried away. <span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">This happens all too easily. </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Lovingly remind them to stay grounded in reality. </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">As fun as magic and energy can be, oftentimes empaths escalate energetic situations into an atomic explosion, and this isn’t always appropriate. </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Empaths often can seem to over-exaggerate or even be drama queens, so be sympathetic to their experiences but keep them grounded in reality. </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sometimes empaths can get carried away about ghosts and demons and angels and portals and visions and all sorts of fun/scary things. </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">These experiences can be valid, but can also be exaggerated and blown way out of proportion. </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">This can be confusing and annoying for non-empaths, so be patient but also be grounded in reality. </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">If an empath-friend is getting carried away, encourage them to calm down and center themselves. </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Encourage them to think with logic rather than emotion, their minds rather than their hearts.</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp; </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Even though intuition is priceless and vital, it sometimes needs to be balanced out with rationality.</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp; </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Emotions can be vitally important and useful, especially to magic-users and occultists, but they can also dilute the reality of the situation and can quickly become amplified to the point when they are no longer useful or serving their purpose.</span></li></ul><ul><li>Help your empath-friend to know themselves, to know their strengths and limitations, their successes and their triggers. <span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Help them to avoid potentially negative situations. </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sometimes empaths seem to get themselves into messes, both in the magical sense and in the mundane sense. </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Helping your empath-friend to explore their potential while maintaining clear limits and boundaries will help them control their own emotions and abilities, which in turn will help you and others when interacting with them. </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Help them to explore techniques that help them ground and center themselves, and help them to realize when something might be a bit too much.</span></li></ul><ul><li>And importantly... Have fun! <span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Joy and positive emotions can often act as a shield and a protective barrier. </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">There's strength and power in laughter, and it can be incredibly cleansing and healing.</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp; </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Also, an empath can be a great contribution to a party. </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Just be safe and sane!)</span></li></ul><br /> Amanda Morrishttps://plus.google.com/101004080644576836367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8758980024282888982.post-8555140272719110962017-01-23T18:56:00.001-05:002017-01-23T19:35:03.092-05:00A Mid-Winter Update<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: 12pt;">One of my goals for this year is to write more, and I haven’t been very good about keeping up with that.</span><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp; (Though I'm rocking my other goals - high five!) &nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I really love writing – “writer” was one of the first archetypes/identities that attached itself to me.</span><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp; </span><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: 12pt;">However, the older I get, the busier I am, and the more <a href="http://triangleareapaganalliance.weebly.com/">my life takes me in other directions</a>. &nbsp;(other <i>awesome </i>directions, to be fair!)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_08dcewj0Ag/WIaX7Rl0ZII/AAAAAAAAC9Q/a70Lg1nWx7MaaM-kRWvNrjNFsVEIz0xjACLcB/s1600/IMG_8331.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_08dcewj0Ag/WIaX7Rl0ZII/AAAAAAAAC9Q/a70Lg1nWx7MaaM-kRWvNrjNFsVEIz0xjACLcB/s400/IMG_8331.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">raw DATA!</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">There are folks in my past who know me as things like WRITER and <a href="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSbl3PzRQ0v1VQ40BLKFYizhB9dzKeE-q-hXOqs2ZpDBNkijIV6">BISEXUAL </a>and FEMINIST, but since coming to North Carolina nearly ten years ago, other labels have been attached to me – THERAPIST is one that’s been clinging strong these days, but I also enjoy <a href="https://www.facebook.com/gaias.circle">PRIESTESS </a>and <a href="http://triangleareapaganalliance.weebly.com/">COMMUNITY ORGANIZER </a>and FRIEND.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">All of these things are great, and I’m very proud of them.&nbsp; But in the end, I’m just Amanda, and Amanda is a writer, first and foremost.&nbsp; My bachelor’s degree is in journalism, and I’ve been writing fiction since I was in elementary school.&nbsp; I’ve participated in <a href="http://nanowrimo.org/participants/feddiechick">National Novel Writer’s Month </a>half a dozen times or more over the years, and I have a file cabinet full of old stories and notes for stories, and a computer and external hard drive filled with even more.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Writing makes other aspects of my life way easier – it was a savior in graduate school since I could pop out papers relatively easily.&nbsp; I can write rituals semi-quickly, as well as blog posts and other copy for both&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/gaias.circle">Gaia’s Circle </a>and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/gaias.circle">TAPA.&nbsp; </a>Progress notes and assessments are pretty easy to me, so it's important for me to </span>remember<span style="font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp;that in one way or another, I write all the time.&nbsp; But, it’s not the same.&nbsp; I’d like to be writing fiction, to be honest, or if not fiction, I’d like to be writing thought-provoking blog posts and articles.&nbsp; But, sigh, life gets in the way I suppose.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I listen to a lot of podcasts, and one of the most recent<a href="http://socialworkpodcast.blogspot.com/"> social work podcasts </a>I had on was about research.&nbsp; The interview was with a guy who actually wrote one of the books I used in graduate school, and it was a good interview.&nbsp; I realized that I’ll probably never go back to school or go on to get my </span>PhD<span style="font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp;because I hate research.&nbsp; Not a fan at all!&nbsp; So instead my plan is to get as many bad-ass certifications and licenses as I can so I can have an alphabet soup behind my name.&nbsp; (So far I have MSW and LCSW-A, with <a href="http://staffandlantern.org/our-clergy/pagan-minister-rev-amanda/">a lovely little Rev. </a>right in front!).&nbsp; <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Anyway, while listening to this podcast I was thinking about my own qualifications.&nbsp; If I were to go back to school, if I were to write research articles, if I were to do research, what would I focus on?&nbsp; My mind cycled through stuff a bit, then settled onto the other thing in my life I have attained at least <i>some</i> mastery and knowledge over – Paganism and the occult.&nbsp; For a long time I was down on myself for wasting my 20s, but I realized recently that that time was not a waste <i>at all.</i>&nbsp; I spent ages 21 – 28 or so focusing, intently, on Paganism, new age stuff, witchcraft, the occult.&nbsp; I have a huge generalist knowledge, and also mastery over many of the basics.&nbsp; I’m a group leader, <a href="http://triangleareapaganalliance.weebly.com/">a community organizer,</a> a <a href="http://staffandlantern.org/our-clergy/pagan-minister-rev-amanda/">minister</a>, a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/gaias.circle">priestess</a>, a <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/SuperDuperSpaceWitch">sibyl</a>, <a href="http://witchesandpagans.com/blogger/listings/spacewitch.html">a Space Witch</a>, and so many other things.&nbsp; And anyway, the whole reason why I went to graduate school was so I could better serve my community as a Pagan clergy-person.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">So I started thinking about ways I have done that – groups, rituals, networking, workshops, and more.&nbsp; And then I began to recall places where my social work expertise has intersected with Paganism (which happens more and more as I dive deeper into pro-bono work and pastoral counseling.)&nbsp; And then I remembered when I was invited to speak at Duke, how excited I was, and how proud.&nbsp; Back in 2015 I was invited by the chaplain at Duke University Hospital to present on Paganism and Pagan’s experience with healthcare.&nbsp; It was a hard presentation to put together because I had so much to talk about.&nbsp; At the time I was working on my<a href="http://witchesandpagans.com/blogger/listings/spacewitch.html"><i> Cosmic Love </i>blog for Pagan Square</a>, and had posted a survey to get some feedback from the actual community about Paganism and healthcare.&nbsp; Much to my amazement, I received over 700 responses, which is great for any research study (let alone a 45-minute presentation at a hospital.)&nbsp; I always told myself that I’d do something with all of that data (beautiful, <i>beautiful </i>data.)&nbsp; But it’s been two years, and it’s just been sitting there. &nbsp;But now it is time.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">I want to take the next step in my Paganism, especially in regards to my community leadership and ministerial duties.&nbsp; I also want to move forward in my career as a professional social worker, and this talk at Duke was a place where those roles beautifully intersected.&nbsp; Combined with my “interest” in research, and my desire to write more… plus, I need to admit that I am <i>more </i>than qualified to write on this subject, that’s the whole reason why I went back to school!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">So, all of that said (thanks for sitting through my little pre-amble) I’m working on a book!&nbsp; I’m taking my data from the survey I did for the talk at Duke, and I’m turning that into a book.&nbsp; My goal is to have the data analyzed by this summer (six month mark), present on the data <a href="https://mystic-south.com/">at the Mystic South Conference in Atlanta</a> (if they accept my proposal! &nbsp;I'll know in March, fingers crossed), and then spend the rest of the year writing the actual book.&nbsp; (Don’t worry, I have plenty of notes and outlines already!)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://bullmoonhearth.dreamwidth.org/">During the Druid’s Saturnalia ritua</a>l, before Gods and Family, I vowed to write this book this year.&nbsp; Now, anyone who knows me well knows that I don’t take vows lightly at all, as in, I pretty much refuse to make them.&nbsp; But it spoke to me in that moment, and I did it.&nbsp; I vowed to write this book this year, so it would be ready by winter 2018 to be submitted for publication.&nbsp; I have a rough timeline, and that will become more solid as I dive deeper into this project, learn more about the data, and the final project becomes more clear.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">I’ve been outlining a ton, doing some brainstorming, but this weekend I finally sat down and started working towards quantifying some of my data.&nbsp; It’s fun, and exciting, and I’m getting all sorts of ideas (not just looking at averages, but also at correlations, too! &nbsp;Yay, statistics!).&nbsp; Re-learning the statistics will be a bit challenging for me, and I need to make a point to dive into some of the academic literature, but overall, I’m very excited.&nbsp; I’m proud to have a long-term project, and I know that I’m in a very good position to make this happen.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Friends!&nbsp; Keep me honest.&nbsp; Ask about my book, ask about the research, ask about the writing.&nbsp; I’m going to try to post more in this blog to help keep me honest, but also to generate some reports and discussion about the results I’m finding.&nbsp; I really, really feel like I have a strong chance at publication with this piece, and I thinking having an active blog will help with that, too.</span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">So… that’s my mid-winter report!&nbsp; A vow made before Gods, and Friends, and Family, and now you, dear reader.&nbsp; Thanks for reading, and thanks for the support.&nbsp; I look forward to sharing this work with you in the weeks to come!<o:p></o:p></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">And while you're at it, be sure to read about my experience speaking at Duke!</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://witchesandpagans.com/pagan-culture-blogs/thank-you-friends.html">http://witchesandpagans.com/pagan-culture-blogs/thank-you-friends.html</a></span></div>Amanda Morrishttps://plus.google.com/101004080644576836367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8758980024282888982.post-24831088155691339562017-01-01T17:31:00.000-05:002017-01-01T17:31:00.778-05:00Books I Read in 2016<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GO51r1WlXps/WGmCyUvTJ6I/AAAAAAAAC8Q/M1brDMKKX2gWKjGq0-TrnUysgFrcCDuPgCLcB/s1600/image1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GO51r1WlXps/WGmCyUvTJ6I/AAAAAAAAC8Q/M1brDMKKX2gWKjGq0-TrnUysgFrcCDuPgCLcB/s320/image1.JPG" width="238" /></a></div><ul><li>I'm not going to edit this text, since it's so long. &nbsp;It's basically a copy/paste from my journal, so please excuse my bad grammar, spelling errors, and run-on sentences. &nbsp;Also not going to include links to books, authors, or references, so please message me if you need clarification, links, etc</li><li>Physical books plus audio books (I do a ton of driving for my job)</li><li>Read/listened to 55 books (which is a tiny bit above my average.<span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp; </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I owe this to my broken foot, which gave me plenty of time to read this year.)</span></li></ul><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Drawing of the Three – Dark Tower II – Stephen King<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">A re-read, quite enjoyable<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">30 Days of Night – Steve Niles – Been Templesmith<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Great art, good concept, not my fave graphic novel.&nbsp; Another re-read<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Jesus: the Unauthorized Version<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Yawn.&nbsp; Started this in 2015 I think.&nbsp; A collection of selections of source materials.&nbsp; Don’t waste your time with this one, just read the source materials (apocrypha or gnostic gospels)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Book of Strange New Things – Michel Faber<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">OMG LOVE HIM.&nbsp; Great author, one of the best fiction books I’ve read in recent years.&nbsp; I will read anything this man writes.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Mother of Eden – Chris Beckett<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Not quite as good as Dark Eden, but still very good.&nbsp; Again, I will read anything this man writes<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Things They Carried – Tim O’Brien<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Read selections of this freshman year of college.&nbsp; Good, challenging, upsetting.&nbsp; Worth reading. &nbsp;Why anyone still thinks warfare is a viable option for anything is beyond me.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Big Girl: how I gave up dieting and got a life – Kelsey Miller<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">My girl-crush/hero of this year, memoir of a beautiful fat chick and her experience with dieting, body image, self-love.&nbsp; Gave me some heavy considerations regarding intuitive eating.&nbsp; Cool, smart gal.&nbsp; #goals<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Waiter Rant – “The Waiter”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Has been on my to-read list for a while, tons of fun, makes me so happy I’m not a barista any more (even though being a barista isn’t the same as waiting, food service is still food service)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Sister of the Dark Moon – Gail Wood<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Worked through this book with Gaia’s Circle.&nbsp; A good jumping off point, though it left a lot to be desired.&nbsp; I heavily adapted her rituals, and it was a great hear of going both wider and deeper for Gaia’s Circle.&nbsp; Just what we needed<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">American Gods – Neil Gaiman<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">How many times have I read this book?&nbsp; Another re-re-re-re-read.&nbsp; If you want a tiny glimpse into my spiritual life and my UPG of the Cosmos, this book is very close and makes many important points<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">How to Talk so Kids will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk – Faber and Mazlish<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Recommended to me by my supervisor when I was at the psychiatric hospital as an intern, a good, useful book.&nbsp; I had many parents step forward and tell me how much they appreciate it.&nbsp; This is one I’ll probably go back to in a few years.&nbsp; Full of information, and I’d say that it has changed the way I communicate with both children and adults<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Gift of Therapy – Irvin Yalom<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Yawn.&nbsp; Wanted to love this, but… I actually really like Dr. Yalom, but maybe I should have read another of his books first.&nbsp; Hard to keep my attention and I’m not sure how much it influenced my own practice (aside from maybe a reinforcement of compassion, patience, unconditional positive regard – all good things)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Promethea Book 1 – Alan Moore<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">OMG.&nbsp; Like American Gods, this one explains my own personal UPG SO MUCH.&nbsp; Will probably read again this year since I never got around to finishing the series (needed to take a break because of all of the mystical, cosmic feels)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Child Psychopathology: a social worker’s perspective – Francis Turner <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Review book for the licensing exam.&nbsp; Useful but I think it’s a bit old and some of the content was outdated.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Trump of Chaos – Jen McConnell<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">The thrilling conclusion to her Chaos series, rewarding to see the progress of these characters and this book (I was one of her beta readers for the first book!)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Beltane – Llewellyn<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">My favorite holiday!&nbsp; Cute book.&nbsp; What a complex holiday.&nbsp; It’s not given enough credit by Pagans.&nbsp; So much depth.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Persepolis: the story of a childhood – Marjane Satrap<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Great book, my favorite of the two.&nbsp; In middle school I wrote a paper about a friend’s father who was a child in Iran before the war, and it was nice to revisit<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">On Being a Therapist – Jeffrey A Kottler<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Useful and challenging, I don’t think Kottler is a social worker, because I think his perspective on some things would be a bit different, but a really encouraging book when I was a point in my life/work when I was thinking “wow, I suck so much!”&nbsp; No, I don’t suck.&nbsp; The job is just that hard.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Promethea – book two – Alan Moore<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">OMGGGGG<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Get Jiro – Anthony Bourdain<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">One of my guilty faves, a silly story, but still fun<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Get Jiro: blood and sushi – Anthony Bourdain<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Better than the first, a prequel. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">You are Not So Smart – David McRaney<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Really boring.&nbsp; HOWEVER.&nbsp; It is on my required reading list for students and mentoring.&nbsp; Any Baby Pagans who want me to initiate them into my tradition are required to read this book.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Kitchen Confidential – Anthony Bourdain <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">One of the many books I read while with a broken foot, spent hours watching Netflix and reading.&nbsp; Loved this (paired well with Waiter Rant)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Casquette Girls – Alys Arden<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">OMMMGGGG&nbsp; I met a friend when I went to UU Women’s Spirit, and she recommended this to me.&nbsp; Vampires?&nbsp; New Orleans?&nbsp; YES!&nbsp; A long YA book, and I tend to not enjoy YA, but I like vampires and I LOVE New Orleans.&nbsp; Looking forward to more books in this series <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Hope: New Orleans<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Used graphic novel I found at a used book store.&nbsp; It was published as a fundraiser after Katrina, and it’s basically a collection of a few dozen little short comics and panels, and the money went to hurricane aid.&nbsp; Enjoyed this a lot (even with the gratuitous, dumb comic boobies)&nbsp; Some were so touching and devastating I had to put it down and I cried a lot <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Walking to Mercury – Starhawk<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Another one that has been on my list FOREVER.&nbsp; Don’t even remember when I bought this book, but Starhawk came out with the sequel to 5<sup>th</sup> Sacred Thing this year so I decided I’d read the series (though I haven’t read Walking to Mercury yet).&nbsp; I liked this a lot, though it’s a very personal story and not a community story, so don’t expect a repeat of 5<sup>th</sup>Sacred Thing <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Salt: a world history – Mark Kurlansky<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bought this 10000 years ago from Hastings when I worked there.&nbsp; LOVED IT.&nbsp; I love gastro-history, and this was just interesting.&nbsp; Read with an internet browser up and pair it with Wikipedia <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Season of the Witch – how the occult saved rock and roll – Peter Bebergal<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">OMG.&nbsp; This one had been on my to-read list for a while, LOVED THIS.&nbsp; OMG.&nbsp; Again, pair this with Wikipedia and Youtube.&nbsp; I learned so much about music.&nbsp; Rock plus occult?&nbsp; YES PLEASE.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Ritual – David Pinner<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Another re-read, third time.&nbsp; The novel that inspired the Wickerman.&nbsp; Such a strange, wild, ride.&nbsp; Some of the writing is just gorgeous, super descriptive and evocative.&nbsp; But the writing is racist, sexist, homophobic, abelist, classist, insensitive, outdated, indelicate, and ridiculous.&nbsp; Major trigger warning for this (I guess the 1960s were just terrible, or Pinner is just terrible.)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">The 5<sup>th</sup> Sacred Thing – Starhawk<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Ssiiiigh.&nbsp; The book that started it all, back in 2005 when I was a Baby Pagan.&nbsp; Can’t say enough about this book.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Ocean at the End of the Lane – Neil Gaiman<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Maybe my favorite book by him.&nbsp; Another heavily UPG book<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Curse of Stone – Jen McConnell<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">A cute little book that was fun to read while I had a broken foot and was feeling sorry for myself<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Golden Eye – Jonathan Stroud<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Read the first one years ago based off of a recommendation from a friend, this one was a bit better than the first, really loved the character development <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Kink in the Rope - Oliver Tremble<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Won this one from Goodreads, a collection of naughty one-line poems and vignettes, heavily kinky.&nbsp; Was charming and only sometimes scandalous. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Lost Souls? – Poppy Z. Brite<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">My friends lost their shit when they found out that I had never read Poppy Z. Brite (“omg, I thought you loved New Orleans and Vampires!”)&nbsp; Given to me by a friend, loved everything about this larger-than-life book.&nbsp; Can’t wait to read more<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Castle Waiting – Linda Medley<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Cute collection of comics in a charming, funny fantasy setting, just what I needed<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">We – Yevgeny Zematin<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">OMG yes good book read this.&nbsp; I’ve always been a huge fan of Brave New World and 1984 and this is just basically 1984 like Orwell barely tried<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Talking to Crazy – Mark Goulston<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">No, wish I hadn’t read this. it just made me angry.&nbsp; Some good stuff in here, but I didn’t really find it to be useful.&nbsp; Then again, Goulston has dozens of books and is probably filthy rich, so what do I know?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">John Dies at the End – David Wong<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">I don’t like funny stuff or body humor, but I adored this and couldn’t put it down<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Under the Skin – Michel Faber<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">OMG LOVED THIS. Love the movie, book was so good.&nbsp; Both are amazing, very different.&nbsp; Read this book<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Devil Rides Out – Dennis Wheatley <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">So, I picked up this book because it was mentioned in Season of the Witch, and also, because the movie stars Sir Christopher Lee.&nbsp; I can’t find a copy of the movie, unfortunately.&nbsp; I did not like this book.&nbsp; A boring, bougie, British boy’s adventure story with some occult stuff thrown in.&nbsp; Wheatley seems to know a thing or two about the Occult, but meh.&nbsp; I’m glad I read it but it was a trial, for sure<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bedtime Stories for Children You Hate – Antoinette Bergin<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Yes omg so good<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Who Goes There? – John W. Campbell<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">I guess I had a “body imposter” them going on this summer?&nbsp; The novella that The Thing was based off of.&nbsp; Very good.&nbsp; Enjoyed it a lot<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Invasion of the Body Snatchers – Jack Finney<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Loved this!&nbsp; the type of classic sci-fi thing I enjoyed.&nbsp; A bit dated at times, but what isn’t, in the end?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Explosive Child – Ross W Green<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Accidentally found an abridged version of this but I’m on the fence about reading the complete work. Some useful stuff here, I think, but hard to implement without more context<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Eden Green – Fiona Van Dahl<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Nooo… someone on Goodreads asked me to read their book and review it.&nbsp; Did not enjoy it.&nbsp; I really hate reading stuff that’s just someone’s fantasy of them and their friends having an adventure.&nbsp; Like, don’t get me wrong, I’ve written plenty of stuff like that. In high school.&nbsp; But I guess in this age of self-publishing, just anyone can write their own adventure stories.&nbsp; Not fun, not clever, repetitive.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Graveyard Book – Neil Gaiman<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">OMG LOVE TRUE LOVE another re-read<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Calling Dr. Laura – Nicole Georges<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">What is it that makes hipsters so deplorable?&nbsp; Did not enjoy this.&nbsp; I get tired of reading about flawed and annoying people who make bad choices and don’t grow and basically are like “omg I’m just trash so anyway here’s my book that I wrote about my trash life.”&nbsp; Basically, what was the point of this book?&nbsp; A lesbian coming of age story?&nbsp; So boring to me.&nbsp; I mean, this is just regular life. I don’t need a charming graphic novel to remind me how annoying I am<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Persepolis 1 &amp; 2 – Marjane Satrapi<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Again, a great book, but I did not like the second one.&nbsp; Another tragically hip wayward outcast making poor life choices and not really seeming to learn any lessons.&nbsp; Satrapi sounds cool, actually, and I’d love to hang out with her, but her second book just annoyed me more than it inspired me (unlike the first one, which was great)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Hellbound Heart – Clive Barker<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Yeah, really loved this one!&nbsp; The novella that inspired Hellraiser.&nbsp; There’s a lot about Hellraiser lore I like, and it was fun reading this<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Something Wicked This Way Comes – Ray Bradbury<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">OMG TRUE LOVE&nbsp; wasn’t my fave book the first time I read it, but as I get older, I can appreciate more.&nbsp; It’s a bit old to read yet another Bradbury book that glorifies being a little boy (is there a “glorification of being a little girl” equivalent?)&nbsp; but as I get older myself I find myself relating more and more to the father, and to… MR. DARK.&nbsp; Clearly I’m an October Person<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Curse of Gold – Jen McConnel<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Another fun love story<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Gifts of Imperfection – Brene Brown<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">I need to make it a point to read at least one of her books at least once a year.&nbsp; Inspiring, beautiful.&nbsp; Whole-hearted, vulnerable, patient, and compassionate.&nbsp; Not my favorite book of hers, but after reading it this fall, I’m still feeling the love and I find that to be very valuable<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Chimes – Charles Dickens<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">What a strange book!&nbsp; Really, super duper dark.&nbsp; Wow.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Doors of Perception – Aldous Huxley<o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Short read, well worth it, however I felt like I was reading some guy’s drug blog.&nbsp; The conclusion was very good and he makes many points about drugs, entheogens, transcendence, connection, and treatment of mental illness that I happen to agree on<o:p></o:p></span></div>Amanda Morrishttps://plus.google.com/101004080644576836367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8758980024282888982.post-77329745642005927542016-09-06T22:46:00.002-04:002016-09-06T22:54:30.190-04:00It's Spoopy Time!&nbsp;<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7Qy8gclXs24/V8-AtGBhBZI/AAAAAAAAC0M/b7xeAzOZXFQWP-R6J7ra_v5OGbSX0nh8QCLcB/s1600/zombie%2Btarot%2B%25284%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7Qy8gclXs24/V8-AtGBhBZI/AAAAAAAAC0M/b7xeAzOZXFQWP-R6J7ra_v5OGbSX0nh8QCLcB/s200/zombie%2Btarot%2B%25284%2529.JPG" width="165" /></a>Well, folks, it's that time of the year!&nbsp; The weather is cooling, the air feels different, the leaves are beginning to fall, and I think Starbucks is even selling pumpkin spice <i>everything</i>.&nbsp; The autumnal season is here!&nbsp; Sure, the equinox and the "official" first day of fall is about two weeks away, but seasons don't shift just because the calendar says it shifts.&nbsp; We're in a transition time, the wheel is turning, and soon it will click into place.<br /><br />In celebration of my all-time favorite season, I'm offering discounted tarot card readings over at my <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/246487712/50-off-the-zombie-tarot-one-tarot?ref=shop_home_active_4">Etsy shop</a>!&nbsp; So now until November 7, my tarot card readings are 50% off when using my super spooky Halloween decks!<br /><br /><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oSnxsvbwZJc/V8-Ah9zpUhI/AAAAAAAAC0I/g0zBT7uD5Qg7nYc_IrLfQaA9mNRkSZe-QCLcB/s1600/IMG_5675.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oSnxsvbwZJc/V8-Ah9zpUhI/AAAAAAAAC0I/g0zBT7uD5Qg7nYc_IrLfQaA9mNRkSZe-QCLcB/s200/IMG_5675.JPG" width="200" /></a>My sister gave me the <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/246487712/50-off-the-zombie-tarot-one-tarot?ref=shop_home_active_4">Zombie Tarot </a>years ago, and it immediately became one of my favorites.&nbsp; I adore the pop-culture images, the conversational tone of the deck, and how <i>real </i>it all is.&nbsp; This is a great deck for asking mundane, real world advice.&nbsp; It's not messing around (despite the zombies.&nbsp; I mean, who messes around with zombies, anyway?)<br /><br /><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/246487712/50-off-the-zombie-tarot-one-tarot?ref=shop_home_active_4">Get a reading with the Zombie Tarot!</a><br /><br />The<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/246486194/50-off-the-halloween-oracle-one-oracle?ref=shop_home_active_3"> Halloween Oracle </a>was another love-at-first-sight deck.&nbsp; I typically don't use oracle decks very often, but I adored the images and really, what's not to love about Halloween?&nbsp; This deck really pulls from Halloween culture, folklore, and mythology.&nbsp; The images are gorgeous, and the messages are timeless (despite the October theme.)&nbsp; This deck is especially poignant when asking deeper questions about inner mysteries and spiritual issues.<br /><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d34w3DxTiws/V8-BMygfIeI/AAAAAAAAC0Q/FsqsPpSo4cY-ACHD8ua3CI8oKcJd8D9MwCLcB/s1600/il_570xN.850182444_hd1c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d34w3DxTiws/V8-BMygfIeI/AAAAAAAAC0Q/FsqsPpSo4cY-ACHD8ua3CI8oKcJd8D9MwCLcB/s200/il_570xN.850182444_hd1c.jpg" width="180" /></a><br /><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/246486194/50-off-the-halloween-oracle-one-oracle?ref=shop_home_active_3">Get a reading with the Halloween Oracle! </a><br /><br />Finally, I have some <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/251944228/samhain-night-handcrafted-loose-incense?ref=shop_home_active_2">Samhain incense</a> for sale at my <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/246487712/50-off-the-zombie-tarot-one-tarot?ref=shop_home_active_4">Etsy shop</a>, too.&nbsp; I made this with my sister, and it's a spicy, heady blend and I've had good luck with using it during ancestor work.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/251944228/samhain-night-handcrafted-loose-incense?ref=shop_home_active_2">Check out my Samhain incense! </a><br /><br />Have a fun, spooky season, everyone!&nbsp; <br /><br />Amanda Morrishttps://plus.google.com/101004080644576836367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8758980024282888982.post-48289463455613262742016-08-24T12:13:00.000-04:002016-08-24T12:13:12.920-04:00Summertime Sadness<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/4ZQWr7cF0eY/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4ZQWr7cF0eY?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Hello, friends.&nbsp; This is another re-post, something originally published over at Witches &amp; Pagans / Pagan Square in 2015.&nbsp; I meant to re-post this article earlier in August, but I guess the "Summertime Sadness" got to me.&nbsp; But here it is, all the reasons why the summertime is my least favorite season and the hardest one for me to feel connected to.<br /><br /><br /><a name='more'></a><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings></xml><![endif]--><br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> 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Name="TOC Heading"/> </w:LatentStyles></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]><style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style><![endif]--> <br /><div class="Standard"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;;">Summertime Sadness</span></b></div><div class="Standard"><br /></div><div class="Standard"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;;">Summertime is a strange, liminal time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span></span></div><div class="Standard"><br /></div><div class="Standard"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;;">I've never really had a “regular” summer schedule (whatever “regular” means.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>As a child and adolescent my life, like the life of most others, was determined by the start and stop of the school year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I took summer classes in college, and after graduation and marriage I moved to a college town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Those of you who live in similar cities know that the university schedule often determines whether or not the Locals dare to venture downtown, go to parks, drink at bars, or eat at the popular cafes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>(Because of crowds of annoying freshman or big-headed seniors, certain parts of my town are pretty much off-limits during certain times of the year.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>For a long time I worked on a college campus, and I'd spend the time from May to August sitting back, reading dozens of novels, and drinking delicious, blended beverages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Then I went to graduate school, and after I graduated my first summer of unemployment extended into an autumn of unemployment, a winter, a spring, and now another summer of the same.</span></div><div class="Standard"><br /></div><div class="Standard"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;;">The thing is, autumn knows what it is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>In many parts of the states it's still really hot and humid until Halloween rolls around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>But even in these southern states, as soon as August begins autumn is there right behind every breeze, every late blossom, and every color-changing leaf.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The air shifts, the energy changes, and before you know it you're deep into the season of pumpkins, sweaters, and bonfires.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Autumn is spooky and colorful, thrilling and busy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Those who are still in school find themselves living by an academic calendar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>College towns spring back to life and the locals scurry back to their dive bars and hole-in-the-wall eateries, sitting in wait for two semesters until the college kids go home again and the city once again belongs to the year-round residents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Autumn is often a gentle transition out of summer and into winter, and each step along this path is definite, defined, and tangible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span></span></div><div class="Standard"><br /></div><div class="Standard"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;;">Winter is probably the most distinct out of all of the seasons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It shares many of the same aspects of autumn but it does not have the need for sustained showmanship and boldness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It’s not trying to prove anything – it knows it’s fabulous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It's confident in what it is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Winter enjoys the glam and glitz immensely over the holidays, until suddenly it has had enough and with the turn of the wheel the parties are over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The holidays are like finding a lonely chocolate chip in your scone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>What a nice, tasty morsel!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>But the rest of it is just dry, white, crumbly… boring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span></span></div><div class="Standard"><br /></div><div class="Standard"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;;">Springtime is sweet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It gently tip-toes its way back into your life after a long hiatus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It's the anticipated guest of honor at the seasonal party.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Spring pretends it doesn't like a grand entrance but once all eyes are on it, it does not hold back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Springtime is autumn's fraternal twin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>They may seem very similar, but it's easy for anyone who pays attention to realize how drastically different they are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Spring is a relief from the endlessness of winter, but spring doesn't know how to be moderate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>As soon as the weather begins to warm and the flowers begin to bloom then the softness of the season suddenly becomes too much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>With springtime it's either too much like a late winter or too much like an early summer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The flowers and blooms are remarkable, popping open one after another, but all of that new growth brings pollen, and with the pollen comes swollen, gooey eyes and an uptake in the sales of allergy medicine.</span></div><div class="Standard"><br /></div><div class="Standard"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;;">And then there's the summer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Students (and teachers) look forward to the summertime because it means they're not in school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>But it seems like every year the school session ends later and begins earlier and earlier (or is it just me?)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>We all hold the summertime to be precious, but why?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I try to hold onto the Beltane season of April/May as long as I can, but before I know it I'm lighting the fires of Midsummer, celebrating one more year of walking the Pagan path.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>What happened between Beltane and Litha?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>What happened to all of that time, all of those sweet, summer days?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It's a blur of fireflies and green, humidity and…?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>After the Summer Solstice, American Independence day is right around the corner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>As soon as you're stepping from the bonfires of Midsummer you're landing yourself at a 4<sup>th</sup> of July picnic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span></span></div><div class="Standard"><br /></div><div class="Standard"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;;">July seems to take its time, though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I remember July as late nights and early mornings, of trying to avoid the outside as much as I can but still finding myself, inexplicably, at the beach, at the lake, at the river, at a local swimming hole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>How did I get here?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Why does the water feel so good?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Where did this sunburn come from?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Why is my fridge full of watermelon and sweet corn?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Why am I eating so many blueberries?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span></span></div><div class="Standard"><br /></div><div class="Standard"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;;">I've been a student most of my life, and those times I wasn't a student I was still working in places that had schedules determined by a college schedule.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>That means that my summertime was determined by the end of the semester and the beginning of another, the relief of one thing concluding and another beginning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>But what does summer get that's special for itself?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It's an in-between time, a time of anticipation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It's a time for fairies and visions and dreams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>While the other seasons seem real, summer is… an enigma.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I try to pin down what is specifically summer and while I don't have words I do have images, sensations, tastes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span></span></div><div class="Standard"><br /></div><div class="Standard"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;;">This July was spent waiting – waiting for a job, waiting for an acceptance letter from publishers, waiting for my vegetables to grow, waiting for… waiting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>And now that I'm in August, I'm not fully IN August.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>August is the initial scent to a heady perfume.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It catches your attention at first, but soon fades.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>What you’re really smelling, what’s really lingering, is September – Pagan Pride Day, Mabon, music and film festivals, back to school, and back to work.</span></div><div class="Standard"><br /></div><div class="Standard"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;;">As a Pagan, I suppose I should be more in-touch with this season, but summer is hard for me to really put my finger on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I know summer is a thing because I've been here time and time again. But summer isn’t an old friend like the winter holiday season is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It’s not something I fall in love with every year like autumn or spring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Summer is that dish you try at different restaurants that's never the same from place to place, even though they use the same name.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It's a new album by your favorite band, with traces of the familiar but a totally new sound.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It's seeing your favorite actor in a new role, remembering those scenes you have memorized by heart but trying to reconcile the cognitive dissonance of seeing them in a completely new and foreign situation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Summer is a sequel to your favorite video game or a new book in your favorite series – maybe familiar, but sometimes just totally different.</span></div><div class="Standard"><br /></div><div class="Standard"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;;">Summer is not planting and it’s not harvest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It’s waiting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>But the thing with waiting is that you don’t know what’s on the other side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Will the seeds I planted be exactly what I want, or will they be a hybrid, a combination of other fruits and flowers?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Maybe they’ll be something totally different or maybe they won’t even bloom at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>All of that preparation and planning done in the winter, all of the planting and fertilizing done in the spring, all for… what?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>We don’t get to know yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Not until the harvest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Not until the turn of the season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Lammas gives us hints of the future, but only a taste and not a full meal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Summer is familiar, but never the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It is a scent, a taste, a memory, a sensation, a whisper, a dream. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span>It's three months of… itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Summer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Whatever that means.</span></div>Amanda Morrishttps://plus.google.com/101004080644576836367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8758980024282888982.post-65272949041518306092016-08-02T15:00:00.000-04:002016-08-02T15:00:20.796-04:00 Anxiety and the Black God<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-McXDwN-4270/V6DrQw7ePSI/AAAAAAAACuI/UIcFr_eus3kpmlRvZ5OhvA0Twh-8TQuCACLcB/s1600/space%2Bwitch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-McXDwN-4270/V6DrQw7ePSI/AAAAAAAACuI/UIcFr_eus3kpmlRvZ5OhvA0Twh-8TQuCACLcB/s320/space%2Bwitch.jpg" width="269" /></a></div>This article originally appeared on<a href="http://witchesandpagans.com/"> Pagan Square</a> a few years ago.&nbsp; <a href="https://www.facebook.com/gaias.circle">Gaia's Circle</a> is celebrating its 7th Lammas/Lughnasadh ritual on Saturday, and I've been thinking a lot about <span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bright Lugh and Black Crom as I prepare for another Celtic-themed ritual, this one devoted to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1706676322915113/">Danu, the Celtic Mother Goddess</a>.&nbsp; Reading back over some of my work over at Pagan Square, I realize that I wrote a lot about anxiety (despite "mysticism" being my blog topic.)&nbsp; As anxious people do, here are some more thoughts on anxiety, and how this time of year always makes me re-think my relationship with my crazy, crazy brain.</span><br /><br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings></xml><![endif]--><br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> 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mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style><![endif]--> <br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Anxiety and the Black God (2014)</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">A friend of mine hosted the Lughnasadh celebration for our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/gaias.circle">multi-tradition ritual group</a>, and she asked me if I’d help her out and take some speaking parts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I accepted, and I made sure to go over my lines before we gathered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>We even practiced together before the ritual began, which should have meant that I was prepared for my cues and that the script should have flowed smoothly and beautifully.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Only it didn’t because naturally I missed my cue and had to stumble to find my place and get the ritual back on track while everyone waited patiently for me to get my act together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I was a little embarrassed of course, but no one really minded (or if they did they were gracious and didn’t make me feel bad.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>But I’ve been thinking about this moment a lot since the ritual, held at the end of July.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Maybe I missed my cue because I just wasn’t paying attention and I’m easily distractible, but I’d like to think that I missed my cue because the ritual was actually working, that the message our talented hostess was trying to share with the group was coming across to me loud and clear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://superduperspacewitch.blogspot.com/2014/07/no-one-can-stop-us-now-gaias-circle.html">I already wrote about this ritual over at my personal blog</a>, but like a good ritual should, it’s stuck with me over the past few weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>As the abundant bounty of summer has shifted from July and we are now well into August and the promise of a fruitful harvest, I’ve had a lot to think about and reflect upon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I think this was an especially important ritual for me to attend (even though my participation might have been less than stellar.)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">The ritual focused on spirals and changes and wheels and cycles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I’m not the most familiar with Irish mythology, but from what I understand, the holiday of Lughnasadh is named after the funeral games that Lugh created in honor to celebrate the life of Tailtiu, his foster mother.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Tailtiu died after plowing all of Ireland, preparing the land for agriculture and to be used by humans.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">The ritual included a description of the powers of Crom Dubh and the powers of Lugh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>These are the forces which hold us back and that move us forward.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>They are the energies that are always circling, always spiraling, anxiety and momentum, momentum and anxiety, a push and pull of protection and fearless daring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Even though we had gone over the ritual beforehand and I had an idea what the hostess would be talking about, I found myself hanging onto her every word as she described the ancient dance of Bright Lugh and Black Crom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">She described Crom Dubh as those fears that keep us safe – don’t touch fire, don’t say that thing, don’t spend all of your money, don’t eat that food, don’t take unnecessary risks, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>She explained that while he protects us and keeps us safe, sometimes his protective arm might stretch a little too far.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>As a result of Crom Dubh’s shielding reach, we don’t touch <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">anything</i>, we don’t say <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">anything</i>, we don’t trust <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">anyone</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>We may be safe, sure, but our refuge may be at the expense of forward motion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Crom Dubh protects us, but maybe he’s that thing that holds us back, too.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">So during this ritual (with my cue rapidly approaching and me oblivious) I started thinking and thinking and thinking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>What’s holding me back?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>And why?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>What am I anxious about?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Is this anxiety too much to the point that I am frozen, or is it just the right amount to keep me safe?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>What am I waiting to harvest, and when the right moment comes, will I be able to act?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Throughout my own personal experiences as well as my studies with social work, I’ve come to understand anxiety pretty well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It seems to plague my family, and my own fight with anxiety is a battle that I have to battle daily.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>But I’ve come to understand that there are different types of anxiety, and different ways to handle these different types of anxiety.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>A little anxiety can be a good thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It kept our ancestors from doing stupid things like eating poisonous mushrooms, talking to strangers, or touching venomous snakes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Anxiety can be that healthy dose of mindfulness that can keep us aware, alert, and on our toes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Anxiety can keep us safe, guarding us in that liminal space between the known and unknown. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">I can’t help but wonder if the ancient Irish people understood how anxiety worked, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Perhaps they understood that anxiety can protect us, but surely they understood the dangers of too much protection, of overwhelming anxiety and the inability to move.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>This may be the dance of Lugh and Crom Dubh, of safety and anxiety and daringness and recklessness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>As a social worker, I can’t help but wonder what the ancient Irish solution to anxiety was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It certainly wasn’t cognitive behavioral therapy or Xanax, but maybe the ancient solution to anxiety was a powerful ritual shared with a trusted community, or even chanting and poetry recited like powerful prayers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Or, like today, maybe the solution to anxiety was something as simple as words of encouragement and reassurance, understanding and patience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Since the end of July I’ve had plenty of time to think about all of those things that I’m holding onto that are keeping me from moving forward and from enjoying my harvest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>These are the blessings that Crom Dubh is keeping safe for me in his big black sack, slung across his crooked back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I can’t say that I’ve come to any specific or profound conclusions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I’m quite familiar with my own anxieties, and perhaps that means that I’ve been familiar with Crom Dubh my whole life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>But anxiety has a new name, and when you know the name of a thing, you have power over that thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>So maybe anxiety doesn’t have to be so scary any more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I can appreciate my anxieties and how they protect me, but the wheel turns and turns again, and I remember that it’s also important for me to shine brightly and move forward, to step from the darkness of Black Crom and to the shining light of Bright Lugh.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">I just hope I don’t miss my cue!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Post Script: </span></b><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Many and endless thanks and blessings to my dear Druid, Heather Watson, for hosting such a lovely and meaningful ritual, and for allowing me to share her beautiful words. </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: black;">This is the voice of Crom Dubh, the King Beneath the Mound.</span></i></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: black;">This is the voice of your will to live,</span></i></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: black;">Your strong and steadfast guardian.</span></i></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: black;">Yesterday we may have suffocated under the weight of him</span></i></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span class="aqj"><i><span style="color: black;">Tomorrow</span></i></span><i><span style="color: black;"> we may struggle in his grip</span></i></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: black;">But tonight we thank him.</span></i></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: black;">Give Crom Dubh your gift as he passes</span></i></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: black;">Look into his eyes and give him your thanks.</span></i></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: black;">You are the treasure he guards.</span></i></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: black;">You are infinitely fragile and infinitely valuable,</span></i></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: black;">And Crom Dubh does not surrender, does not abandon, does not yield.</span></i></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: black;">Crom Dubh is always with you,</span></i></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: black;">Guarding you from the vast darkness of chaos and change that seethes just below your feet,</span></i></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: black;">Warding and protecting you from whatever it is that you fear most.</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">You can find more of Heather’s work at this link:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fortunate-Son-The-Thread-Book-ebook/dp/B00GY5WZMG"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">http://www.amazon.com/Fortunate-Son-The-Thread-Book-ebook/dp/B00GY5WZMG</span></a></div>Amanda Morrishttps://plus.google.com/101004080644576836367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8758980024282888982.post-65624999661285469202016-06-09T19:39:00.000-04:002016-06-09T20:06:36.566-04:00A Year and a Day<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings></xml><![endif]--><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8UOxinQ1QMU/V1n_tCoeF9I/AAAAAAAACo0/-bCqSSF1JJUwO85NGVJb3VJ6kmSPQdMNgCLcB/s1600/super%2Bduper%2Bspace%2Bwitch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8UOxinQ1QMU/V1n_tCoeF9I/AAAAAAAACo0/-bCqSSF1JJUwO85NGVJb3VJ6kmSPQdMNgCLcB/s1600/super%2Bduper%2Bspace%2Bwitch.jpg" /></a><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: 12pt;">My poor, sweet neglected blog!</span><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , serif; font-size: 12pt;">&nbsp;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">About a year ago I was writing all the time and I was loving it<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">For at least a few years, </span></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1rFAaAKpVc">“We're All Made of Stars”</a></i> was regularly updated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>In 2015 I was also very busy working on a book and pitching it to publishers and agents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I was doing some <a href="http://paranormalgalaxy.com/author/amanda-morris/">really fun freelance writing</a> as well contributing to a website and co-hosting a radio show.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">And then life happened, and here I am, almost a year later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; At the end of last year I </span>had queued up quite a few re-posts (or even re-re-posts) but <a href="http://superduperspacewitch.blogspot.com/2015/11/dark-moon-in-scorpio-2015.html">the last real blog post I did was last November.</a>&nbsp; And even before that <a href="http://superduperspacewitch.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-gift-of-friendship-and-sage.html">the last real-real blog post I did was last August</a>!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">So here I am, nearly a year later, and I find myself on the hazy, muggy edges of another strange, weird summer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>So I thought it was time to update my neglected blog, and write a bit about my wild, crazy, cosmic life...</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div><a name='more'></a><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">June 2015</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">I spent a lot of time with my sister this summer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>She was having some weird housing issues and was soon to be moving back to New Mexico.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>We spent a lot of time eating and shopping and gossiping.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I really miss her.&nbsp; We went to a<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Sunshine-Lavender-Farm-143412519017166/"> local lavender festival again</a>, and that was a sweet and lovely time, too.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">I taught a <a href="http://triangleareapaganalliance.weebly.com/blog/june-13th-2015">workshop on Elder: The Queen of Herbs.</a>&nbsp; That was a lovely, magical experience!&nbsp; I really love playing with herbs, and I don't do it nearly as often as I should. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nY32XpUrw18/V1oChjblb0I/AAAAAAAACqc/_8iQ0qNBd9cN8RvvsnXvBCgJTzSQ5MQ0wCLcB/s1600/space%2Bwitch%2Blavender.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nY32XpUrw18/V1oChjblb0I/AAAAAAAACqc/_8iQ0qNBd9cN8RvvsnXvBCgJTzSQ5MQ0wCLcB/s320/space%2Bwitch%2Blavender.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">bee friend and lavender friend</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">I facilitated a huge solstice ritual for<a href="http://conjurework.com/"> a local metaphysical and occult shop.</a>&nbsp; I wrote the ritual based off of my very first Pagan ritual with my fostering coven, back in 2005.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It seemed fitting, somehow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I was a Baby Pagan then, and ten years later I was able to pay homage to those who taught me and loved me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The ritual was an exhausting, lovely experience. I tried to write an article about it to submit to <a href="http://sagewoman.com/">Sage Woman</a> for their <a href="http://www.bbimedia.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&amp;cPath=3_15&amp;products_id=807&amp;zenid=4998e74717210ce274c46911d3fba7b3">Roots &amp; Wings edition</a>, but found myself unable to finish it.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">I spent a lot of time this month applying for jobs.&nbsp; I had graduated in May of 2014 and still had not found a job in my field.&nbsp; It was very depressing.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">July&nbsp;</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">2015</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">I spent the first part of this month looking for a job, and I found one!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>My very first grown-up social work job, working as a child and family therapist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>However, because of training and paperwork, I wouldn’t see my first client until the end of August.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">The <a href="http://triangleareapaganalliance.weebly.com/">Triangle Area Pagan Alliance</a> celebrat</span>ed it's third annual <span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">4<sup>th</sup> of July/Independence Day ritual down at the Eno River.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>What a lovely little ritual!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1683739995176880/"> I'm looking forward to this year's ritual a lot.&nbsp;</a></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">I think I had <a href="http://www.whispersoftheforest.com/">an initiation </a>around this time, too</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">August&nbsp;</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">2015</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NpDXVbhCPgY/V1oByACtmFI/AAAAAAAACqQ/PGtcPfkSHCk9vzF3jGVToJOh0E8myjE-ACLcB/s1600/super%2Bduper%2Bspace%2Bwitch%2Bworld%2Bgoddess%2Bday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NpDXVbhCPgY/V1oByACtmFI/AAAAAAAACqQ/PGtcPfkSHCk9vzF3jGVToJOh0E8myjE-ACLcB/s320/super%2Bduper%2Bspace%2Bwitch%2Bworld%2Bgoddess%2Bday.jpg" width="228" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">World Goddess Day 2015</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">My sister left back to New Mexico around this time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I also saw my very, very first client at the end of August.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">September&nbsp;</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">2015</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">I was so excited to officiate my very first same-sex (and Pagan!) wedding down at Wilmington.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It was such a sweet ceremony, lovely and loving family, and the brides were amazing people!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The whole experience was such an honor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">I was starting to get busier with work, but I never really got as busy as I needed to.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Me and <a href="http://rattleroarandritual.blogspot.com/">a sister-witch</a> co-facilitated a ritual for the <a href="http://worldgoddessday.com/">2<sup>nd</sup> Annual World Goddess Day</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>What a great experience!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>We met some great friends at this ritual, including a researcher from Brazil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1715445138677495/">We can’t wait for this year’s ritual!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1715445138677495/"></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Me and my co-committee with the<a href="http://triangleareapaganalliance.weebly.com/"> Triangle Area Pagan Alliance </a>had another information table at this year’s <a href="http://www.cncppd.org/">Pagan Pride Day</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>We also facilitated and attended a ton of workshops, <a href="http://triangleareapaganalliance.weebly.com/blog/pagan-pride-day-2015">and had a blast</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>We were so exhausted and happy and pleased!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I facilitated a workshop on Christopaganism, and attended a great workshop of Pagans and Mental Illness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>We met a ton of great folks this year, too, and I can’t wait for <a href="http://www.cncppd.org/">2016!</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8Cl6mUycz5s/V1oBPAnki5I/AAAAAAAACpk/3FWmR9pT6UsxN4o-gXk0BmbCc8vJS90GgCLcB/s1600/super%2Bduper%2Bspace%2Bwitch%2Bselena%2Bfox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8Cl6mUycz5s/V1oBPAnki5I/AAAAAAAACpk/3FWmR9pT6UsxN4o-gXk0BmbCc8vJS90GgCLcB/s320/super%2Bduper%2Bspace%2Bwitch%2Bselena%2Bfox.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Super Duper Space Witch meets Selena Fox</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">I helped my friend <a href="http://conjurework.com/">Magus over at Conjure Work</a> for a little bit at the <a href="http://piedmontpaganpride.com/">Piedmont PPD</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I was happy to connect with some friends at this event, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I attended a workshop on Dionysus, <a href="http://www.churchofwicca.org/">and met some really great folks who are doing fun things down there</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Best of all, I met <a href="http://selenafox.com/">Selena Fox</a>!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>She gave a great talk on the future of Paganism, and also facilitated the evening ritual.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>What beauty!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>What grace!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>What power!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">October&nbsp;</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">2015</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">October is the best month ever!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; I had started watching spooky movies back in August so I was really in the mood this year. &nbsp;</span>I worked a lot this month, having a ton of fun with my clients.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>We had a lot of bats around our house and I loved to sit on the back porch and watch them swoop and soar in the twilight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I went to a ton of dance parties and regular parties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I also went to a social work licensing exam conference, which freaked me out.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">For Halloween, Steve wore a lovely owl mask.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I was a “space witch” because, well, you know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>We attended a masquerade/benefit party for the<a href="http://thecarrack.org/"> Carrack, a local non-profit arts pace</a>, and then later <a href="http://m.indyweek.com/indyweek/writers-picks-best-venue-that-doesnt-exist/BestOf?oid=5037939">a dance party/art show at the Best Venue that Doesn’t Exist.</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">November 2015</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">I had the honor of officiating another wedding this month.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>This one Harry Potter themed – Death Eaters, to be exact.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Another sweet family and gorgeous venue. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_eTz6t3lRE4/V1oBP9vXaCI/AAAAAAAACpw/bB8mvhRj61I23lprLJNxs5J_EY9a9_73ACLcB/s1600/super%2Bduper%2Bspace%2Bwitch%2Bharry%2Bpotter.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_eTz6t3lRE4/V1oBP9vXaCI/AAAAAAAACpw/bB8mvhRj61I23lprLJNxs5J_EY9a9_73ACLcB/s320/super%2Bduper%2Bspace%2Bwitch%2Bharry%2Bpotter.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a very Harry Potter wedding</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">I attended the statewide social work conference this month, and had a really random, really great lunch with some really cool folks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>We talked about race, racism, and social work - <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>“The Storm.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>While I was up in Asheville I stopped by the<a href="https://www.ravenandcrone.com/"> Raven and Crone</a> and the clerk was this really nice gal.&nbsp; We chatted a bit, and it was nice to hear about what groups are doing in other cities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">My in-laws came into town for Thanksgiving and we took them to <a href="http://lacacerolanc.com/">our favorite </a></span><a href="http://lacacerolanc.com/"><span class="st">Honduran </span></a><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://lacacerolanc.com/">place in town</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>We had a wonderful meal with my friend and her son, delicious pies, and then later had some friends over for some board games.&nbsp; We were all stuffed for two months after two days of eating.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">We were also evicted from our house because our landlady decided to sell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Ugh.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Work was good!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Challenging and fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Not as many hours and not as much pay as I needed but… honestly, I was just happy to be working and doing something I loved and am good at.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">December&nbsp;</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">2015</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">My housemate and I found an amazing little house in the middle of the woods.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It was literally love at first sight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I hope we get to live here for forever. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FGSSnrD3Ryo/V1oBws8uRlI/AAAAAAAACqI/8X9Rasz-j_wMOYh83dFVd8TAgqdzEVkfwCLcB/s1600/super%2Bduper%2Bspace%2Bwitch%2Byule%2Bsolstice%2Bparty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FGSSnrD3Ryo/V1oBws8uRlI/AAAAAAAACqI/8X9Rasz-j_wMOYh83dFVd8TAgqdzEVkfwCLcB/s320/super%2Bduper%2Bspace%2Bwitch%2Byule%2Bsolstice%2Bparty.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Community Solstice Party</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">December was packing, packing, and more packing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Tons of friends collected boxes for me, which was wonderful, and many more helped us move.&nbsp; <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>It was a really hard move, mostly because I’m a pack-rat, but also, we were in a tight time-crunch and it was just hard to coordinate it all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Luckily, I’m blessed with amazing family and friends who helped us out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>THANK YOU, FRIENDS.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Before the move, though, <a href="http://triangleareapaganalliance.weebly.com/">TAPA </a>collaborated with some local groups (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/uufrfotocuups/">Fellowship of the Oak</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/gaias.circle">Gaia’s Circle</a>, <a href="http://www.whispersoftheforest.com/">Whispers of the Forest</a>, <a href="http://bullmoonhearth.dreamwidth.org/">Bull Moon Hearth</a>) for a really great community solstice party.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>We had food, a super charged drum circle, sweet little ritual, chatting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Such a great event, and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1969326356626513/">I’m so excited to do it again this year!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Christmas was balls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I got the flu really badly right after we moved, and was just miserable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>We had some dinner with a friend of ours which was nice, but I had no energy to do anything else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The best part of Christmas this year was Steve and I driving around town for a few hours, listening to Christmas music and just chatting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It had been the first time in months that we were able to spend together and have a conversation that wasn’t dominated by business or drama.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GzqLeQDqMSc/V1oBu8KQ9iI/AAAAAAAACp8/L1oDmKWRx2MoQFCyCwJJzaVchfh7YGxxwCLcB/s1600/super%2Bduper%2Bspace%2Bwitch%2Bsmaller%2Bowl%2Blittle%2Bowl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GzqLeQDqMSc/V1oBu8KQ9iI/AAAAAAAACp8/L1oDmKWRx2MoQFCyCwJJzaVchfh7YGxxwCLcB/s320/super%2Bduper%2Bspace%2Bwitch%2Bsmaller%2Bowl%2Blittle%2Bowl.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MOAR FOOD, PLEASE</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">And then my best friend came into town and we ate and ate and ate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Yay!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Work was incredibly slow this month, which was nice because it gave me time and energy to move and unpack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>We had our annual New Year’s Eve party, and this year’s theme was Bacchanalia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I knew it was a good party because people didn’t leave until 6am.&nbsp; I have no idea what next year's theme will be, but I'm excited for it already.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">January 2016</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Work started to get busy again this month, though we had a snow storm that left us stuck on our little hilltop in the woods.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>That was actually quite lovely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I colored a lot this month.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Unfortunately I suffered through a really bad eczema flare-up through much of this winter, and even in June I am still feeling some of the dryness and sensitivity from that. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">A sister-witch came to live with us for a few months!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span><a href="http://manbitesdogtheater.org/2015-16-season/brownsville-song/">She was in town for a show</a>, so the next three months were spent eating and talking about social justice.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">And this is the month that I began my love-affair with <a href="http://arcanadurham.com/">Arcana</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>&lt;3 &lt;3 &lt;3 </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--qbphTlJXw0/V1oAonC0o9I/AAAAAAAACpE/AsAu-lmXhP0rDmdSKTIHEhAOnaFw8uZ4wCLcB/s1600/super%2Bduper%2Bgoth%2Bqueen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--qbphTlJXw0/V1oAonC0o9I/AAAAAAAACpE/AsAu-lmXhP0rDmdSKTIHEhAOnaFw8uZ4wCLcB/s320/super%2Bduper%2Bgoth%2Bqueen.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">goth prom queen</td></tr></tbody></table><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">February 2016</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Work continued to increase, little by little.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>But finally I was building my caseload, and starting to see some great work with my clients.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">I facilitated a really great Imbolc ritual for <a href="https://www.facebook.com/gaias.circle">Gaia's Circle </a>that I’m really proud of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>We had a good group, and people seemed really happy.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Still eczema…</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">More dance parties at <a href="http://arcanadurham.com/">Arcana</a>!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">March 2016</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">More rituals, more parties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I facilitated a little ritual/tea party for <a href="https://www.facebook.com/gaias.circle">Gaia’s Circle</a>, and since the weather was quite awful we had to squeeze inside my little house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>But it was okay, because people seemed rather happy.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">My Druids facilitated a ritual down at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/uufrfotocuups/">Fellowship of the Oak</a>, and it was almost a little too good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>People seemed really engaged, and it ended up lasting a long time (a bit too long!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It was a<a href="http://triangleareapaganalliance.weebly.com/blog/khaire-mnemosyne-khairete-muses"> great ritual devoted to the Muses and Mnemosyne</a>, and it was a good learning experience for us as ritual facilitators.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6RYZawU0ODs/V1oBOwJo48I/AAAAAAAACpg/fOem5fopl0IZYQL65BTPEMyg_K-thwxYwCLcB/s1600/super%2Bduper%2Bspace%2Bwitch%2Bmuses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6RYZawU0ODs/V1oBOwJo48I/AAAAAAAACpg/fOem5fopl0IZYQL65BTPEMyg_K-thwxYwCLcB/s320/super%2Bduper%2Bspace%2Bwitch%2Bmuses.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Muses and&nbsp;<span class="_4n-j fsl">Mnemosyne</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">I went to a really great, really exclusive Hekate ritual, too.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Another sister-friend came to stay with us, so for a little while we had a full house of up to six people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Cozy!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">I went to a conference on ethics, and during the super boring and dumb luncheon I sat with some of my old professors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It was so nice to share about my own career, and also to catch up on some department gossip.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">In the middle of March, we found ourselves scrambling together for some social justice magic and ritual, as well as some protest in response to <a href="http://www.ncleg.net/Sessions/2015E2/Bills/House/PDF/H2v4.pdf">HB2</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It’s great to have a pre-written ritual that you can just do at a moment’s notice, old friends and comrades sinking into familiar words and familiar energy.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">I did a really weird interview with our local rag, the Indy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I spoke to the journalist for almost an hour and I was given a whole two lines!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I guess it’s better than nothing, and I’ve worked as a journalist so I know how this game goes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>But I had some mixed feelings about <a href="http://www.indyweek.com/indyweek/as-a-tarot-trend-sweeps-durham-the-citys-magic-community-comes-out-of-the-broom-closet/Content?oid=5012501">the resulting article.</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Still eczema…</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">More dance parties at <a href="http://www.arcanadurham.com/">Arcana</a>!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">April 2016</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">I turned 32.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I met friends at <a href="https://theparlour.co/">The Palour </a>for ice cream and had a lovely time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Later that week, me and a sister-witch had a shared birthday party.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>My husband, sister-witch, and housemate surprised me with a house show!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>My housemate got his band to play with him, and they played <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v--IqqusnNQ">Life on Mars,</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXJFtNX71g4">I Know You Love Me</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v--IqqusnNQ">Old Friends</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juD4ayBbHdY">Shadowplay</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTh9IuSTOY0">Death</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I was stunned and moved to tears at all of the time and effort they put forward, and the love they and my other friends showed me that night.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">My sister-witch did a dance-ordeal, loosely based on <a href="http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr141.htm">Inanna’s decent into the underworld</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The ritual was amazing and powerful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>(An ordeal for us all.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>She was making plans to move back home, since her show was done.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Zmg06H11ZwU/V1oApvm0AJI/AAAAAAAACpU/K6sAFcz4Ky00LFYqA88B5SSMYUBVjRZDwCLcB/s1600/super%2Bduper%2Bice%2Bcream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Zmg06H11ZwU/V1oApvm0AJI/AAAAAAAACpU/K6sAFcz4Ky00LFYqA88B5SSMYUBVjRZDwCLcB/s1600/super%2Bduper%2Bice%2Bcream.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"The Drunken Sailor"</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Work was going really, really well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I went to a conference focused on<a href="http://www.faithconnectionsonmentalillness.org/"> faith, community connections, and mental illness</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It was a really great conference, and gave me a ton to think about in regards to my own role as a clinician and as a clergy person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>What can I do to serve my community?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>What role does the community play in serving those who suffer from mental illness?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>How can me and my groups bridge these gaps?&nbsp; I had lunch with one of my old supervisors from when I was an intern at our local state psychiatric hospital.&nbsp; It was great catching up with him, and I was reminded of how kind and supportive mentors can be.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">And then I fell and broke my foot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>&nbsp;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">I was on my way home from seeing clients and was (reluctantly) meeting a friend for burritos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I crossed the street, or at least tried to, and I fell, heard a SNAP (sounded like a twig!) and then down into the gutter I went.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Luckily I had friends there to literally help pull me out of the gutter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>A homeless man asked me for some money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>A woman pulled over in her car to see if I was okay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Went to the Doc, was put on a boot, given some crutches, and waited for the swelling to go down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I saw a specialist later, and decided to opt out of the surgery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>And thus began my 8-week binge on painkillers, books, coloring, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Bourdain">Netflix</a>.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">D-d-dance parties at <a href="http://www.arcanadurham.com/">Arcana</a>!&nbsp; (but before I broke my foot)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">May 2016</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Because of the broken foot, I had to cancel ALL of my rituals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Like, all of the rituals I had planned from the middle of April to the end of July.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I was a devastated, and to be honest, I’m still a bit sad about it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>But this broken foot thing has been a lesson in self-care, and s-l-o-w-i-n-g down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I had to miss Beltane (my all-time favorite holiday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>October may be my favorite month, but I think Beltane is my favorite holiday) but some sweet, sweet friends came over on Walpurgisnacht to bring me MAY PIG and to hang out and chat with me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It was so great, and so touching, and really just what I needed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I needed to be around community, and I was so blessed that my community came to me.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VIMwZ_-Xsa0/V1oAoljqtPI/AAAAAAAACpI/pbe1OyAx_fcmB3SPY42Y3FAJ4AqL48ezwCLcB/s1600/super%2Bduper%2Bsocial%2Bworker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VIMwZ_-Xsa0/V1oAoljqtPI/AAAAAAAACpI/pbe1OyAx_fcmB3SPY42Y3FAJ4AqL48ezwCLcB/s1600/super%2Bduper%2Bsocial%2Bworker.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sweet tears of relief!</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">So, in May I pretty much read a ton (twelve books, plus a few more started but not yet finished.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I watched a billion <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Bourdain">cooking/foodie/travel shows on Netflix</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I colored a lot, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>And most of all, I studied for my licensing exam.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The exam had been a huge, huge weight on my shoulder since graduation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I spent most of 2014 in denial about it, and then the rest of 2015 with some mild anxiety about it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I had been studying off and on since November, but it was hard for me to find time for myself to sit and focus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>But finally, the deadline drew near.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The broken foot gave me FORCED time to study (and in a weird way, I’m thankful.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>So I took the test, which was an ordeal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Hand scans, signatures, photographs, locked doors, signing in and out, checking my pockets, more hand scans, sealing my phone in an unbreakable plastic bag, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The test was crazy – let’s just say, lots of prayers were made and lots of offerings promised!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>But, I passed the test, and when I got the PASSED alert, I had to read it 1,000 times, and then I cried a bit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I had a margarita and some nachos, and then I settled into some blessed laziness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Even though the broken foot had forced me to slow down, when the test was over I felt like I could finally relax.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Even though I was very immobile, I had a ton of visitors in May.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>One of my friends set up a meal train for me, and I was very well fed and taken care of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Thank you, friends!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I don’t know what we would have done if not for people feeding me, and feeding me well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I had plenty of leftovers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>April and May are hard for Steve because of the pressures of the end of the year at school (plus the anxiety of saving money for the summer, which was even harder with medical bills and me not working), so people bringing food meant he didn’t have to grocery shop and he didn’t have to cook for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>(Or clean up after cooking.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Such a blessing!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">So… I couldn’t work because I couldn’t drive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>(Well, most of the time I couldn’t even hobble to the bathroom or take a shower or feed myself, let alone see clients for therapy, so…) My clients were transferred to other therapists, and I have to start over with a whole new caseload.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>This has been majorly devastating for me, not just because of the financial loss, but because I really, truly care for my clients.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>They had all been doing such good work, and I was sad to have to break that relationship so abruptly.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a-1nR86NrSY/V1oBuqz8QzI/AAAAAAAACp4/UXAR2p8hDpkbR2Q0o2sinYMIaZBnPmrvQCLcB/s1600/super%2Bduper%2Bspace%2Bwitch%2Bsharon%2Bknight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a-1nR86NrSY/V1oBuqz8QzI/AAAAAAAACp4/UXAR2p8hDpkbR2Q0o2sinYMIaZBnPmrvQCLcB/s1600/super%2Bduper%2Bspace%2Bwitch%2Bsharon%2Bknight.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sharon Knight at Arcana</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">June 2016</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">So, here we are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I’ve been reading, writing, and healing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I haven’t had to use my crutches in a few weeks, and I hope to be out of the boot completely by the end of the month.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I’m slowly weaning myself off, and aside from a swollen ankle here or there, I’m doing well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I’m trying to get back into writing, especially because work will be a little uncertain for the time being.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I did some major work on <a href="http://triangleareapaganalliance.weebly.com/">the website for the Triangle Area Pagan Alliance</a>, and that has been satisfying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I hope to build a website for <a href="https://www.facebook.com/gaias.circle">Gaia’s Circle</a>, too, and maybe one for Steve for some potential translation work.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Last night a friend took me to see<a href="https://sharonknight.bandcamp.com/"> Sharon Knight</a>, and that was just amazing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It was almost a dream come true, to sit in <a href="http://www.arcanadurham.com/">my favorite bar</a>, where the owner knows my name and brings me a drinks special.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span><a href="https://sharonknight.bandcamp.com/">I was able to listen to some witchy, Pagan musicians, sharing their craft.</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I was surrounded my friends, engaged in lively conversation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I saw some acquaintances, met some new friends, and did some <a href="http://odysseycraftworks.com/">great Pagan networking</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I came home and even though my foot was killing me my husband said “you look like you had a good time.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>And I did, I really, really did.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">A lot of my future is uncertain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>How will we pay bills this summer?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>How quickly will my foot heal?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>What will I do about my career?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>What is the next step for <a href="http://triangleareapaganalliance.weebly.com/">TAPA</a>, for <a href="https://www.facebook.com/gaias.circle">Gaia’s Circle</a>?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Will I have the energy and follow-through to get back into my writing?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">But looking back at the past year, I want to remind myself to take it easy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Things will happen unexpectedly, and that’s okay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I know I’ll have a lot of fun, I’ll learn a lot, I’ll continue to meet new people, and I’ll deepen the relationships I have with the people who I already know and love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The community will continue to grow and expand and connect and network and reconnect, like an enforced net/web.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>This summer will be strange and lovely and exciting, because that’s exactly what my life is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;times new roman&quot; , &quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">And I wouldn’t have it any other way.</span></div>Amanda Morrishttps://plus.google.com/101004080644576836367noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8758980024282888982.post-54065985704819824752016-02-02T10:37:00.000-05:002016-02-02T10:37:03.591-05:00Re-Post: "Signs of Love: Imbolc"<a href="http://superduperspacewitch.blogspot.com/2014/02/signs-of-love-imbolc.html">(Originally posted on the online religious news magazine, Creedible</a><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;"><a href="http://superduperspacewitch.blogspot.com/2014/02/signs-of-love-imbolc.html"> and on this blog, 2014)</a></span><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RIymT68vxO4/UuSmwYc9GLI/AAAAAAAAApk/Ib1Nii2BfDU/s1600/tumblr_mzt4waZdhC1qdnnevo1_500.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RIymT68vxO4/UuSmwYc9GLI/AAAAAAAAApk/Ib1Nii2BfDU/s1600/tumblr_mzt4waZdhC1qdnnevo1_500.jpg" height="400" width="267" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Sonja Bannick</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">The energy of this time of year is hard to describe. <a href="http://superduperspacewitch.blogspot.com/2013/12/slow-light.html">Winter holiday festivities</a> are long past, and it seems like there is nothing to look forward to for the next few months. It’s the end of winter and beginning of spring, but that doesn’t always make sense. Some cities haven’t even gotten cold yet and the bulbs are already popping up, while other places are still buried under many feet of snow with no hope for blooms or sunlight.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">&nbsp;</span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imbolc">Imbolc</a>, celebrated on the second of February, is the ancient Irish holiday that commemorates this in-between time. Originally a festival celebrating ewes’ milk, this was the time of year that pregnant sheep started lactating, which meant it was a good time to make cheese. Most people, though, have never even seen a ewe, let alone any other type of lactating livestock. Although ancient Ireland is worlds away from the contemporary United States, Imbolc still holds important lessons for everyone.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">It’s still cold outside, or if it’s not cold, it’s still grey and brown and dreary. Because of the blustery weather, this is a good festival to spend with the family, focusing on hearth and home. It is a good time of year to start working on spring cleaning and to start thinking of the tasks and projects that need to be done once spring is fully here.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">While Yule is a fire festival that is bright and dynamic and exciting, Imbolc, while still a festival of flames, is more quiet and reflective. It’s a good time to sit in front of the fireplace, or in front of a flickering candle, and focus on arts, crafts and other creative projects that you enjoy doing.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JMfgOsr1mDg/UuxS0q2tR2I/AAAAAAAAAq4/PJW8hYwO60M/s1600/1507881_10102086874189358_1516550166_n.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JMfgOsr1mDg/UuxS0q2tR2I/AAAAAAAAAq4/PJW8hYwO60M/s1600/1507881_10102086874189358_1516550166_n.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Many of us have no idea how our food gets from the farm to our homes, but Imbolc might be a good time to honor livestock and crops even if we don’t have any of our own. Traditional holiday foods are milk and cheese, so treat your family to something local, organic, free range and delicious.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Some Catholics may know this holiday as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presentation_of_Jesus_at_the_Temple">Candlemass</a>, or perhaps <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Brigid">St. Brigid’s Day</a>. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brigid">Brigid </a>is a clear example of an ancient Pagan goddess who was reinterpreted by Christians and given a whole new life and story. Flames and creativity are sacred to Brigid, who may be related to a northern goddess who predicted winter by the length of the shadows. Bright, sunny weather on Candlemass meant she could gather lots of extra firewood for a prolonged winter.</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">February for many is still the winter, but the tradition of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groundhog_Day">Groundhog’s Day</a> has its roots in the ancient Pagan world when people would look to nature for omens to see just how long winter would last. Maybe the groundhog isn’t afraid of his shadow on February second, but rather the cold weather the winter goddess promises to bring in February! </span> Amanda Morrishttps://plus.google.com/101004080644576836367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8758980024282888982.post-861806357809763012016-02-01T10:30:00.000-05:002016-02-01T10:30:13.963-05:00Re-Post: "Imbolc Oil"<br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OyFaGIO21yg/U2lrXAxVmYI/AAAAAAAAA04/K3E6cHzklY4/s1600/St_Brigid_Crosses-banner.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OyFaGIO21yg/U2lrXAxVmYI/AAAAAAAAA04/K3E6cHzklY4/s1600/St_Brigid_Crosses-banner.jpg" height="161" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.naasparish.ie/2014/01/13198/">http://www.naasparish.ie/2014/01/13198/</a></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://superduperspacewitch.blogspot.com/2014/05/pagan-blog-project-week-18-i-imbolc-oil.html">A repost from 2014 </a></span></span></b></span><br /><br /></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">9 drops sandalwood</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">13 drops vanilla extract</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">9 drops jasmine</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">13 drops cedar</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">Grape seed oil</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">This oil can be used for creative inspiration, change, cleansing, arts, crafts, work, Brigid, honoring Celtic ancestors, health, healing, Goddess worship, winter, spring, dark moon, new moon, black moon, initiation, newness, Imbolc, etc. or any other associations with late winter/early spring, Brigid, Imbolc, and the dark/new moon. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 24.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">Comhn orm a Bhride!</span></i></div><br />Amanda Morrishttps://plus.google.com/101004080644576836367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8758980024282888982.post-58705219311905844952015-12-31T10:41:00.000-05:002015-12-31T10:41:00.587-05:00Re-Post: "Nearer"<a href="http://superduperspacewitch.blogspot.com/2014/01/nearer.html"><span style="font-size: large;">A post about NYE, 2013</span></a><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Last night with a sparkler in each hand, I drew huge banishing spirals into the air, thinking about the year that had just passed. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BSTzlR9L9jk/UsRJLlUFQjI/AAAAAAAAAl4/mrfajmkxMCs/s1600/tumblr_mmk6eefoUb1rb4yjwo1_500.gif" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BSTzlR9L9jk/UsRJLlUFQjI/AAAAAAAAAl4/mrfajmkxMCs/s320/tumblr_mmk6eefoUb1rb4yjwo1_500.gif" height="236" width="320" /></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Out with the old”</span></i><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"> I whispered, over and over again. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">When the time felt right, I reversed my spirals, spinning inward, with the hopes to bring luck and love to me in 2014.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">“In with the new!”</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">As the sparklers began to burn out out I went crazy with my magic, dancing and looping large streaks of burning color into the air. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Out with the old, in with the new, out with the old, in with the new, out with the old, in with the new!”</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">When the light finally died, I released my intentions into the cosmos with a cheer. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Happy New Year!”</i> My friends, enjoying their own magical moment of sparklers and nighttime joy, shouted with me. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Happy New Year!”</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">That was my last bit of magic for 2013, and my first bit of magic for 2014. Not bad for a year of intense ritual experiences and divine revelations… I’m not much of a resolution type person, but I really hope 2014 has just as much magic as 2013, if not more. 13 is a witch’s number, and I’d really say that 2013 was the <b>Year of the Witch</b> for me, but 4 is <i>my </i>number, and I’m really hoping that 2014 is T<b>he Year of The <i>Space </i>Witch</b>. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4tlGvdSNNWE/UsRJyPHqjYI/AAAAAAAAAmA/eaymlpXeTH0/s1600/tumblr_mypo5kEfAk1r6lt92o1_500.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4tlGvdSNNWE/UsRJyPHqjYI/AAAAAAAAAmA/eaymlpXeTH0/s400/tumblr_mypo5kEfAk1r6lt92o1_500.jpg" height="400" width="298" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Last night, home and slightly tipsy from champagne, I drew a card from my new deck, gifted to me from a dear witch friend. For this first reading of a brand new deck, <a href="http://www.vintageeroticatarot.com/">Le Tarot des Femmes Erotiques</a>, I drew the seven of pentacles. <b>“Wait for the Moment”</b> it tells me. Whereas 2013 Space Witch would have been annoyed and impatient, 2014 Space Witch is wise and understanding. I recognize the advice to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">wait wait wait </i>as the current theme in my life. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>Wait.</b>The Cosmos have been telling me for months. For years. <b>Wait. </b>Now is not the time. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">So I get my seeds and soil ready and I wait and do all the work I can for when the time is right, because I know when the time comes I need to be ready. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Wait. </span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">So I started the day of 2014 with some more magic, making<a href="http://www.neighborfoodblog.com/2013/12/5-ingredient-caramel-monkey-bread.html"> monkey bread</a> and bacon and drinking champagne. (The Space Witch is a classy witch, for sure.) As I roll balls of dough I whisper into the food <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Out with the old, in with the new, out with the old, in with the new, out with the old, in with the new!”</i> I add a pinch of nutmeg for divine inspiration, cloves for a spicy kick, and cinnamon for an extra oomph. I can’t wait for this hot, goey, breakfast treat. So of course I take it out of the oven too quickly. The inside is still raw. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Wait!”</i> the Cosmos remind me with my uncooked breakfast.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Oh yeah. Right. Maybe I still have some work to do on this whole patience thing, after all...</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">And later we get to enjoy pork loin, cabbage, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-eyed_pea">black eyed peas</a>. I do live in the South, after all, and I can use all the luck I can get, and black eyed peas are lucky indeed. I’ll probably give some to the nature and land spirits later, or to the house wights. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">But today isn’t just the New Year. No! It’s the new moon as well! How fortuitous! So I’m thinking about making some incense or oil later today, too. Maybe tonight with the darkness is deep and the night is cold. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">The oil will be a mix of lavender, jasmine, sandalwood, cypress, and myrrh. The incense perhaps a bit complicated as I work out the perfect recipe. But I’m hopefully for the magic of this day to carry me through the next year, to capture it into a little jar of scent and energy.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><iframe allowFullScreen='true' webkitallowfullscreen='true' mozallowfullscreen='true' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/aMWzYip6R30?feature=player_embedded' FRAMEBORDER='0' /><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">2013 was rough for many people, and 2014 won’t be without its challenges. But aren’t you so excited?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div>Amanda Morrishttps://plus.google.com/101004080644576836367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8758980024282888982.post-84561095543445829952015-12-20T10:03:00.000-05:002015-12-20T10:03:00.589-05:00Re-post: "When It's Cold"<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"></h3><a href="http://superduperspacewitch.blogspot.com/2013/12/when-its-cold_14.html"><span style="font-size: large;">repost from December 2013, December 2014</span></a><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MOKACrUoZsw/Uq0ujAtTFsI/AAAAAAAAAjY/vl8fF54kz7o/s1600/IMG_1240.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MOKACrUoZsw/Uq0ujAtTFsI/AAAAAAAAAjY/vl8fF54kz7o/s400/IMG_1240.JPG" height="350" width="400" /></a>Since the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_solstice">Summer Solstice</a>, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holly_King_%28archetype%29">Holly Kin</a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null">g</a>has reigned over the half-year of waning light, yet on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_solstice">this night </a>the renewed <a href="http://www.earthwitchery.com/oak-king.html">Oak King</a> will return, and rule on his throne until it is time for him to step down for the reigning Holly King. And through the ages this dance shall repeat again, and then again and again. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Each year, we tell this story of cleansing and gratitude, of </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dying-and-rising_god"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">death and rebirth</span></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--eH_mYz35_Q/Uq0uWYxBnuI/AAAAAAAAAi8/Ow6fWvVsKHE/s1600/IMG_1229.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--eH_mYz35_Q/Uq0uWYxBnuI/AAAAAAAAAi8/Ow6fWvVsKHE/s400/IMG_1229.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">&nbsp;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">This is a story older than old, of a rivalry that has been repeated year after year, since ancient times and the dawn of myth. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The tales are told of two great kings, one dark, and one light, who twice a year, at Midsummer and Yule, engage in a heroic fight.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The Holly King, the darker one, rules the winter and the dimming sun.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">While the King of Oak, who is vibrant and bright, reigns over summer and the sun’s growing light.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">At </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yule"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Yule </span></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">they battle in an inspiring scene and the victory always goes to the mighty Oak King. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">But at </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midsummer"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Midsummer</span></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">’s time, when the sun is at its peak, the Holly King will win as the Oak King grows weak. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">And so it goes, year after year, and the story is told to all who can hear. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e4sWMBDJXag/Uq0t4gTbHKI/AAAAAAAAAic/3NuR7v3KGYY/s1600/IMG_1232.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e4sWMBDJXag/Uq0t4gTbHKI/AAAAAAAAAic/3NuR7v3KGYY/s400/IMG_1232.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">So we show our gratitude to the Oak King in the summer, when the sun’s light is warm.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">And we show our gratitude to the Holly King in winter when all must die and be reborn.</span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HWaE_JGKdPI/Uq0uZGgttoI/AAAAAAAAAjI/BCCVlSxCm4Q/s1600/IMG_1236.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HWaE_JGKdPI/Uq0uZGgttoI/AAAAAAAAAjI/BCCVlSxCm4Q/s400/IMG_1236.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> As the Holly King dies and the Oak King reigns, we honor the sacrifices that are made by ourselves and others. We honor death and the gloom of winter nights. In the starlight darkness we are given visions of a world that could be different. In the quiet of the midnight blue, as the white moon glistens with clarity beyond the stark black trees, we are shown that the old must die in order to make space for the new. We honor the coming New Year and the opportunities of</span> renewal and rebirth within ourselves, within nature, and within the cosmos. We share our gratitude for the shining of the winter stars as the longer and warmer days draw near. And we sing our song of hope on this triumphant season as the Holly King steps aside and Oak King is renewed.</div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7-yzB9r6Xww/Uq0ujEtmHFI/AAAAAAAAAjc/6XoeRarCSnY/s1600/IMG_1241.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7-yzB9r6Xww/Uq0ujEtmHFI/AAAAAAAAAjc/6XoeRarCSnY/s400/IMG_1241.JPG" height="400" width="272" /></a> <i>(I was asked to write this piece for a friend of mine who hosted this year's 2013 Yule ritual for our </i><a href="http://www.witchvox.com/vn/vn_detail/dt_gr.html?a=usnc&amp;id=38381"><i>Circle</i></a><i>. Pieces were taken from the book </i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Celtic-Wheel-Year-Christian-Prayers/dp/1905047959"><i>The Celtic Wheel of the Year: Celtic and Christian Seasonal Prayers</i></a><i> by <a href="http://tessward.wordpress.com/">T</a></i><a href="http://tessward.wordpress.com/"><i>ess Ward</i></a><i>. The</i><a href="http://brennaxadaira.wordpress.com/2011/08/14/the-battle-of-the-oak-and-holly-kings/"><i>bulk of the poem</i></a><i> was used from the blog </i><a href="http://brennaxadaira.wordpress.com/"><i>The Raven and the Oak</i></a><i>by </i><a href="http://en.gravatar.com/brennaxadaira"><i>Brenna Adaira</i></a><i>.)</i></div>Amanda Morrishttps://plus.google.com/101004080644576836367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8758980024282888982.post-65227860774968793422015-12-18T10:01:00.000-05:002015-12-18T10:01:00.551-05:00Re-re-post: "Slow Light"<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"></h3><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sg14aQkFqpU/UqdQHaVg_aI/AAAAAAAAAdY/dOKK9k2P--I/s1600/fdafdafdsaf.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sg14aQkFqpU/UqdQHaVg_aI/AAAAAAAAAdY/dOKK9k2P--I/s400/fdafdafdsaf.jpg" height="320" width="400" /></a><br /><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name"></h3><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sg14aQkFqpU/UqdQHaVg_aI/AAAAAAAAAdY/dOKK9k2P--I/s1600/fdafdafdsaf.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sg14aQkFqpU/UqdQHaVg_aI/AAAAAAAAAdY/dOKK9k2P--I/s400/fdafdafdsaf.jpg" height="320" width="400" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">(this post first ran in the online news magazine <a href="http://creedible.wordpress.com/">Creedible</a>)</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://superduperspacewitch.blogspot.com/2013/12/slow-light.html">reposted from December 2013 &amp; 2014</a></span><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal">A few weeks ago it began to get cold, and it’s only getting colder. Animals are hoarding food and their pelts are growing thick and warm. Plants and trees that once grew so brightly have turned brittle and brown. Only the faithful evergreen remains decorated with bright red berries and heavy boughs.<br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Even the cosmos seem to be responding to the change in the seasons. Orion the Hunter sits more prominently in the sky, and the moon that once rose so orange and round is now silver and sharp enough to cut through the night itself. The air smells like snow, wood smoke, the decay of leaves and the promise of mortality.<br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Most alarming of all, the sun seems to be leaving. It sits lower on the horizon. The air is not as warm. The light is not as bright. The days are getting shorter and night is getting longer.<br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Every year is the same. The sun seems to grow weaker and weaker until that one dark, terrifying night when the day is the shortest it will ever be. It gives way to the endless, black, eternal night, and it seems as if the sun has died.<br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The Solstice is not just a matter of light and dark, day and night, but a matter of life and death. Before science and mathematics, how were people to know that this short and fleeting day wouldn’t be the day to mark the final death throes of a dying sun? Even the memory of the previous Solstice may not have been enough to calm the heart. The sun had returned the previous year and life returned to nature, only to die again the next winter. So in this season of death, in the deepest and darkest of winters, our ancestors held their breath and hoped and prayed for the return of the Sun with its promise of rebirth and triumph over darkness.<br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">This year, on the Solstice, when the day is short and the night is long, think about the sun. Have a moment of gratitude for the season. Celebration of the Solstice may be one of mankind’s oldest rituals. Whether it manifests in feasts, the decorating of evergreens, gift exchanges or simple prayer, there is no denying the magic of the Winter Solstice.<br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Most of all, there is no one way, and no wrong way, to celebrate the rebirth of the Sun. The traditions have changed over the millennia, and they will change again as the needs, hopes and fears of human society shift and evolve. All that matters is that deep down, in our heart of hearts, we stand in awe of the rising sun, which will return to us again and again, no matter how deeply penetrating is the darkness of night. </div>Amanda Morrishttps://plus.google.com/101004080644576836367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8758980024282888982.post-33226414611783532852015-12-10T10:43:00.000-05:002015-12-10T10:43:00.375-05:00Re-Post: "In My Heart"<b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://superduperspacewitch.blogspot.com/2013/12/in-my-heart.html">A post about the holidays, from 2013</a></span></b><br /><br /> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l2RcOJCM5no/Uq8_d2CXnUI/AAAAAAAAAk4/JFBdn14zGWk/s1600/IMG_1202.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l2RcOJCM5no/Uq8_d2CXnUI/AAAAAAAAAk4/JFBdn14zGWk/s400/IMG_1202.JPG" height="400" width="350" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">It’s been a long time since I’ve had either the interest or energy to send holiday cards. When I managed the coffee shop I was just too busy and tired and crabby to even consider it. And of course being in school is also a valid excuse to be lazy, right? But this year I decided I’d try to put forth more of an effort to get into the holiday spirit, so I’m sending holiday cards. </span> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">I’m already ahead of the game (slightly) because at some point a few years ago my husband and I bought boxes and boxes of cards so we have a lot to use. That means I didn’t have to go shopping for cards, which is great because who has time for that?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">I did have to go through my address list (still the same list that we used when we sent out wedding announcements in 2007). So I had to edit the list some, changing some last names because of divorces or marriages, adding some names and addresses as my friends and family continue to grow, and sadly deleting some addresses because I’ve lost touch with a few people or because of deaths over the years </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zAZHRhvtLnA/Uq8_ocr8dHI/AAAAAAAAAlA/OdMb4n3xUkY/s1600/IMG_1206.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zAZHRhvtLnA/Uq8_ocr8dHI/AAAAAAAAAlA/OdMb4n3xUkY/s400/IMG_1206.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Then I sat down this morning and turned on my “White Christmas” playlist on Pandora (told you I was putting forth extra effort) and I addressed each envelope and added our return address. (Which has prompted me to buy some address labels because this is ridiculous.) Of course I spent too much time matching the perfect cards with the perfect people, paying attention to flashiness, glitter, modesty, religious content, potential political messages, etc. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">As I wrote a message in each and every card, I realized that this shouldn’t be a mechanical process. When I write “Hope you all have a magical holiday season and many blessings in the new year”, I really mean that. After all, I’m a minister and a priestess. When I write or wish “blessings”, it’s not just a random word I’m throwing around. I really do wish these people (and others!) blessings for the new year. 2013 was very hard on many people, and I hope 2014 is better. You all could use all the blessings you can get!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tioqtWWSCnQ/Uq8_sgxOmRI/AAAAAAAAAlI/2saoTJOEAMs/s1600/IMG_1209.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tioqtWWSCnQ/Uq8_sgxOmRI/AAAAAAAAAlI/2saoTJOEAMs/s400/IMG_1209.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">&nbsp;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">As a witch, wishing someone Christmas Magic might have the potential to be something special. I’m not really casting spells or charms on my Christmas cards in a traditional sense, but regardless of one’s background and current practices, this holiday season holds special meaning for many people. Even when I was conducting group therapy up at the state psyche hospital, one of the girls said rather dreamily “Christmas is just so magical.” And she is right, I think. It is magical. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Christmas Magic is a special type of magic, so when I write “I hope you have a magical Christmas” perhaps maybe I’m adding just a little bit of magic into the world. Some of my cards are going to family members I haven’t seen in years and years, and others are going to friends I see every day. But that doesn’t mean that they all can’t enjoy some extra magic this holiday season, or that they won’t benefit from some extra blessings in 2014. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1sdDMBbjarw/Uq8_alfkeeI/AAAAAAAAAkw/qykjHbphbRA/s1600/IMG_1208.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1sdDMBbjarw/Uq8_alfkeeI/AAAAAAAAAkw/qykjHbphbRA/s400/IMG_1208.JPG" height="276" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">So quiet unexpectedly, writing holiday cards became an act of magic and intention for me this morning. I turned on the lights on my tree. I lit some candles. I turned up the Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby. I got comfortable with a cozy sweater and I wrote holiday cards, sending out a little bit of magic and a few little blessings to those I love and those I have loved. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Because regardless of one’s practices and beliefs, we could all use a little something something extra this season. </span></div><br />Amanda Morrishttps://plus.google.com/101004080644576836367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8758980024282888982.post-42989713569564923762015-12-01T10:40:00.000-05:002015-12-01T10:40:00.216-05:00Re-Post: "Life's So Sweet"<a href="http://superduperspacewitch.blogspot.com/2014/01/lifes-so-sweet.html"><span style="font-size: large;">from January, 2014</span></a><br /><br /> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YjHEpQgEnYE/Uqtzz3hhOhI/AAAAAAAAAh8/frJQk2IpQk4/s1600/IMG_1223.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YjHEpQgEnYE/Uqtzz3hhOhI/AAAAAAAAAh8/frJQk2IpQk4/s1600/IMG_1223.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">&nbsp;<span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Ever since my last visit to New Mexico in 2012, I’ve had really strong, nostalgic feelings for the desert. That trip was healing for me in a lot of ways, giving me the chance to reconnect with family and friends, to really feel and experience the energy and magic of the landscape, and to really appreciate the land, the culture, and the people in ways I hadn’t been able during my depressing teenage years. That trip home even inspired me to write a short little article for <a href="http://witchesandpagans.com/Magazines/">Witches &amp; Pagans </a>magazine for their <a href="http://witchesandpagans.com/Witches-and-Pagans/witches-pagans-26-element-of-fire.html"><i>Element of <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fire</span></i></a> issue, and I've even begun to honor the desert in my own personal practices. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">You can’t go home again, and I’m glad. I wouldn’t want to. But I do like having home come to me, in little things like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatch_chile">Hatch chilies</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kokopelli">Kokopelli </a>all over my house, and most of all, with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Mexican_cuisine">food</a>. Food is so tied to culture and place, and it can be hard to get good southern New Mexican style food in this area. Luckily for me, though, since my sister has been here she has made green chili stew, sopapillas, and bizcochitos. Oh yes. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bizcochitos">Bizcochitos </a>are the state cookie of New Mexico, and these little guys date back to the Spanish colonists of the region, hundreds of years ago. They’re made of lard and wine and anise and are really just amazing, and can be very similar to ginger snaps. My sister made them for the 2013 holiday celebrations – Yule, Solstice, Saturnalia, Christmas, New Years, etc. They’re often eaten during the Christmas season, but also popular for baptisms, funerals, and weddings. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">What’s great about these little cookies is that they bring with them the magic of place. I’m not in New Mexico, but I can bring New Mexico to me. I may not be the descendant of a Spanish conquistador, but I am New Mexican, and I can share this unique culture with my North Carolina friends and family. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m0I-s1gGR1s/UqtzwuhnMKI/AAAAAAAAAhs/PPaxp1s3FUc/s1600/IMG_1220.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m0I-s1gGR1s/UqtzwuhnMKI/AAAAAAAAAhs/PPaxp1s3FUc/s1600/IMG_1220.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Some people don’t care for anise, but it really is <a href="http://www.wolfmoongrove.com/Herb%20Info%20Pages/herbal_properties.htm">a wonderful herb</a>. Anise is great for the cold holiday months. It brings the properties of youth, protection, and purification. It spreads greater awareness and happiness. These are perfect for the time of the birth/rebirth of the sun/son, for shelter and security during the uncertainty of winter, and for bringing in the New Year. Anise brings with it mindfulness of flavor, of place, of being, and it is tangy and unique and sweet and joyful. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">As many know, cooking and baking can be magical acts. My sister was so excited to prepare bizcochitos, and she made them with love and nostalgia, remembering her own experiences back in the desert. She was adorably eager and nervous to share these regional cookies with my friends here in North Carolina, but we figured that even if people didn’t like them, that would just mean more for us. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">So even here on the cold and wet east coast, we can enjoy the taste, flavor, and memory of the desert. I was honored that my sister wanted to share these cookies with me, and we were both happy to share them with others as well. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oz9JJjoOmgk/UqtzylWWg1I/AAAAAAAAAh0/Vz5ex8jArHU/s1600/IMG_1224.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oz9JJjoOmgk/UqtzylWWg1I/AAAAAAAAAh0/Vz5ex8jArHU/s1600/IMG_1224.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">&nbsp;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><u><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bizcochitos </span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">1 ½ cup lard</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">1 ½ cup sugar</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">3 eggs</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">3 teaspoons anise seed</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">6 cups flour</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">1 teaspoon salt</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">½ cup sweet white wine (plus ¼ extra if needed)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">½ cup sugar + 1 tablespoon sugar</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Plus plenty of cinnamon and sugar</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Cream together lard and 1 ½ cup sugar. In separate bowl, beat the eggs and wine together. Add the lard and sugar and mix well. In separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Add the dry and wet mixture together. Your dough should be slightly sticky.</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Divide the dough into three large bowls and keep in the fridge overnight.</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Preheat your oven to 350. Roll the dough into little balls and roll these balls into a cinnamon and sugar mixture. Cook the little balls for 10-15 minutes in the oven. After they are done cooking, roll them again in cinnamon and sugar so you get a double coating. Enjoy!</span> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><i> </i><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">(My sister doesn’t remember where she got this recipe. It’s written in her journal. But if you own this recipe, let me know and I’ll give you credit! Other recipes and variations can be found all over the internet, and they’re really super easy to make!)</span></i></div>Amanda Morrishttps://plus.google.com/101004080644576836367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8758980024282888982.post-3684803240682576912015-11-10T09:45:00.000-05:002015-11-10T09:45:00.072-05:00Dark Moon in Scorpio - 2015Tonight my group <a href="https://www.facebook.com/gaias.circle">Gaia's Circle</a> is gathering to observe the Dark Moon.&nbsp; Tonight it is in the sign of Scorpio, transitioning over to Sagittarius.<br /><br />Scorpio is a water sign, and for this ritual we are diving deep deep deep, deep into our depths.&nbsp; Here in the darkness of the still, cold and silent waters, on this dark and moonless night, we are confronted with our own darkness, our own stillness, our own inner cold and chill.&nbsp;<br /><br />What will we find in the depths of our being?&nbsp; Will we hear the temptation call of the Siren?&nbsp; Will we answer?<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/HFWKJ2FUiAQ/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HFWKJ2FUiAQ?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2pxvXI1i9cw/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2pxvXI1i9cw?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/g4en3W5U1yo/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/g4en3W5U1yo?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div><br />Amanda Morrishttps://plus.google.com/101004080644576836367noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8758980024282888982.post-77536873418923666502015-10-31T10:05:00.000-04:002015-10-31T10:05:00.639-04:00Re-post: "Wait For Me"<b><span style="font-size: large;"></span></b><br /> <br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hCWd5kuFD-g/VO08Lb6oBoI/AAAAAAAABl8/eoNIpxD3mFM/s1600/tumblr_mvjm18SHWr1rh5anvo1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hCWd5kuFD-g/VO08Lb6oBoI/AAAAAAAABl8/eoNIpxD3mFM/s1600/tumblr_mvjm18SHWr1rh5anvo1_500.jpg" height="400" width="298" /></a></div><a href="https://creedible.wordpress.com/2011/10/25/a-pagan-view-of-halloween/"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>originally posted in the online religion magazine Creedible, 2012, and on this blog October 2014</b></span></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">Like the pages from a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Bradbury">Bradbury </a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Halloween_Tree">short story</a>, October sweeps in with cold wind, bright colors and the scents of damp leaves, sugar and candy. The summer has been long and hot, school and work are in full swing and the holidays are right around the corner. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">This shift in seasons is called the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheel_of_the_Year">Wheel of the Year</a>, and as the wheel rolls from the brightness of summer to the darkness of winter, the subtle swing from October to November marks a very important holiday in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pagan">Pagan </a>calendar. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">Known to most as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween">Halloween </a>(or <i><span style="font-style: normal;">All Hallows</span></i><span class="st"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">' </i></span><i><span style="font-style: normal;">Eve), <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samhain">Samhain </a>is a favorite holiday among many Pagans. Considered by some to be the Pagan New Year, this holiday rests between the Autumnal Equinox and the Winter Solstice and is a time of letting go of the old to make room for the new.</span></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><i><span style="font-style: normal;">Commonly pronounced “Sow-ehn” (though this is debatable!) the observance of this special time of year has roots in ancient Europe, particularly among Gaelic and Celtic tribes. Many modern Halloween festivities observed in the United States come from Irish settlers who brought their folk stories and traditions with them to the new world. Trick-or-treating, carving pumpkins (or other vegetables) and wearing masks and costumes all come from old Samhain customs. </span></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><i><span style="font-style: normal;">While Halloween may seem spooky to some, Samhain is a time to honor the blessed dead and to pay respect to those who have passed. Many display an “ancestral altar” with photos of friends and family as well as the deceased’s favorite food and trinkets. This isn’t too unlike the Catholic Day of the Dead festivities, where households pay their own respects in a similar fashion. Some Catholics also celebrate All Souls Day and All Saints Day shortly after Halloween, too, in which the hallowed and the dead are honored in other ways.</span></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><i><span style="font-style: normal;">For Halloween this year, sit quietly outside. Listen to the leaves as they fall. Hear the kids laughing as they put on costumes and eat candy. Watch a few scary movies and indulge in the shadowy, darker aspects of life. Eat some crisp apples. Think of friends and family who were loved and lost. Celebrate the “Dumb Supper” and set an empty plate out for them at dinner time. </span></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">As the wheel turns and the year is new, think about those old, harmful things that no longer serve a purpose. Dismiss them and banish them away. The winter will be hard and cold, and there’s no use in keeping useless things around. As the nights become longer, contemplate on the shadow aspects of life. The wheel turns towards the darkness at Samhain. It will turn once more at Yule and the Solstice when the world will be brighter than ever. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Times,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">In the meantime, Happy Halloween!</span></div>Amanda Morrishttps://plus.google.com/101004080644576836367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8758980024282888982.post-19249893261523577302015-10-29T09:37:00.000-04:002015-10-29T09:37:00.308-04:00Re-post - "A King of Magic"<a href="http://superdupersocialworker.blogspot.com/2012/10/a-kind-of-magic.html"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Re-post honoring my Blessed Dead from my Super Duper Social Worker Blog, October 2012</span></b></a><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r4ycyl2keYc/UJCV2Yf4jjI/AAAAAAAAAL0/FQSstola3k4/s1600/l.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r4ycyl2keYc/UJCV2Yf4jjI/AAAAAAAAAL0/FQSstola3k4/s320/l.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Here is another sad cancer story. It’s a tragedy that so many of our Blessed Dead were taken from this world because of cancer. I’d like to extend extra blessings to those who are inflicted with this disease, as well as extra support to those who love those who are inflicted with cancer. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="il">Zach</span> was one of the first kids to talk to me when I moved back to Montana. I was shaken and upset about moving from Washington, and had a hard time adjusting. We were a natural fit as friends – outcasts, creative, nerdy, and socially awkward. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="il">Zach</span> loved art, but most of all he loved music. He could play the piano beautifully, and he sang all the time. He played a song on the piano for me once, and it was so beautiful I cried. But with all of his art, he was a brilliant scientist as well. He traveled throughout the US going to conferences, schools, classes, camps and workshops. His focus was water purity, and he would have worked wonders and changed the world, if only given more time.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Out of all of the lessons <span class="il">Zach</span> taught me, it was one of magic. He loved fantasy books and was an avid reader of all genres. We’d play these elaborate fantasy games and create extraordinary worlds. To <span class="il">Zach</span>, the world was magic, and magic was real. It was alive. The world was full of creativity and wonder. He had an active, lively, beautiful imagination, and he encouraged creativity in others. Because of <span class="il">Zach</span>, my journey into Paganism has been easy. Like me and <span class="il">Zach</span>, me and magic have been a good fit. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BqXjqugpJ_w/UJCV-nebsdI/AAAAAAAAAL8/kZ4npapoxgg/s1600/student.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BqXjqugpJ_w/UJCV-nebsdI/AAAAAAAAAL8/kZ4npapoxgg/s400/student.jpg" height="233" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">I wasn’t always nice to <span class="il">Zach</span>. The other kids didn’t like him very much, and sometimes I’d ignore him so I could hang out with the “cool” people. I wish I hadn’t done that. He was bullied a lot in his life. He was beat up a lot, sexually assaulted, and basically tortured. Was he gay? Was he bi? It didn’t really matter. He was beautiful and full of love.&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">That’s all that matters when it comes to life. Be like <span class="il">Zach</span>. Be full of life. Be full of beauty. Be full of love. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">I knew <span class="il">Zach</span>had cancer, but he kept the severity of it from me. On the day of my wedding he sent me an email that was basically “let be your Jewish momma and spit on your on your big day. Ptt ptt ptt!” This might have been the last correspondence we ever had. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">He got more and more sick, and finally it was pneumonia that killed him. When I found out I was devastated. I cried and I cried and I cried. That night, I got drunk, wore black, and danced all night at the goth club. It still makes me angry when I think about how young he was. There are so many shitty people out there. I know it’s unfair of me to say it, but why couldn’t the cancer have taken them? Why did they have to take <span class="il">Zach</span>?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-451YgSuGVx4/UJCWFVzqiaI/AAAAAAAAAME/hl9wcuy9L5s/s1600/nnnnn.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-451YgSuGVx4/UJCWFVzqiaI/AAAAAAAAAME/hl9wcuy9L5s/s400/nnnnn.jpg" height="327" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">I cried for months after <span class="il">Zach</span> died. I dreamed of him all the time. My heart was still breaking constantly. But one night, I had a dream that was unlike the others. In my dream he came to me and said “Amanda, you can’t keep on doing this. You need to stop crying.” He said “you can’t keep holding on like this. Let me go. You have my blessing. Let me go.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">And I haven’t dreamt of <span class="il">Zach</span> since. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">But that doesn’t mean he’s forgotten. I still mourn his passing and cry when I remember he is gone. There is a hole in my heart and in my life, knowing he is not spreading his love and beauty and brilliance around the world. His photo gets a place of prominence on my ancestor's altar, with my grandmothers’ jewelry. When I encourage creativity, imagination, and magic, I do so in honor of Zach. Sometimes I still can’t imagine that he’s gone. He was so young – a brilliant scientist, an amazing artist, and a loving man. Because of <span class="il">Zach</span>, magic is alive in my life. </div>Amanda Morrishttps://plus.google.com/101004080644576836367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8758980024282888982.post-49664405688056921732015-10-22T09:40:00.000-04:002015-10-22T09:40:00.147-04:00Re-Post - "Dead on Time/Walk the Line"<b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://superdupersocialworker.blogspot.com/2012/10/dead-on-timewalk-line.html">Re-post from my Super Duper Social Worker blog, October 2012, honoring my Blessed Dead</a></span></b><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UaY6mvxHMqo/UIoEdpjYpYI/AAAAAAAAALY/-0HRVmabvtA/s1600/179244_485057711019_115146_n.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UaY6mvxHMqo/UIoEdpjYpYI/AAAAAAAAALY/-0HRVmabvtA/s400/179244_485057711019_115146_n.jpg" height="400" width="330" /></a></div>Everyone used to call my Grandma <span class="il">Johnson</span> “Snooks.” I don’t know where the nickname came from, but I only wish I could be so cool as to have a nickname like that. Her mother named her Norma Jean, and she was a skinny, black-haired lady who was full of piss and vinegar. I was told once that she was in an accident when she was younger, that all of her blonde hair fell out, and it all grew back black. I don’t know if this is true or not. Maybe I made it up. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">She was born to a feisty Scottish woman, and she had three older sisters. Her father was an Irish ballplayer and bootlegger. She used to sell buckets of water to the gypsies who lived in the park across the street. She herself had a little bit of gypsy blood in her as well, &nbsp;what I like to imagine was the blood of the Irish Travelers, but I’m not positive. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Grandma <span class="il">Johnson</span> met Grandpa <span class="il">Johnson</span> while on horseback. He was out riding with his best friend, a Norwegian named <span class="il">Johnson</span>. Grandma was out with her best friend. The four met, paired off, fell in love, and were close for most of their lives. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Grandpa <span class="il">Johnson</span>was drafted into the Army and the family moved to Hawaii. There they had my Uncle Jim, who was the apple of my Grandma’s eye. She came from a family and a generation that favored boys over girls, which seems paradoxical to me when I look at the dynamic women in her family. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">The family moved back to Montana, and my mother was born. Grandma <span class="il">Johnson</span> wasn’t a great mother, and Grandpa <span class="il">Johnson</span> wasn’t a great father. This chapter of my family’s history is riddled with abuse, alcoholism, and poverty. But, for all of the stories of the bad things that happened, I’ve heard just as many, if not more, stories of the good things, too. It’s like that Hank Williams Jr. song, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4m26XgjdA4" target="_blank">“if I get stoned and sing all night long, it's a family tradition."</a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Snooks struggled with alcoholism her whole life. She smoked. She had eating disorders. She wrote bad checks. She was abused by her husband. She fought (physically) with her sisters and other family members. Her son and nephews were drug addicts and brought criminals to her home on a regular basis. When she’d call us up on holidays, she was often drunk on tequila. She told us once that she loved to howl at the moon.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Grandma <span class="il">Johnson</span> loved cats, even when they were mean to her. She loved her grandchildren. She loved horses and she loved Native American artifacts, jewelry, artwork, and memorabilia. I have some of her beaded earrings. I don’t know if a Native friend of hers made them, or if she crafted them herself. She liked the color pink. She loved turquoise. While I won’t wear her giant pink earrings, I love wearing her turquoise rings; big, huge, gaudy, beautiful. They’re full of luck.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q4UAlDgrWZg/UIoEosyV-qI/AAAAAAAAALg/fwzQbNGiNik/s1600/231165_10150165961906020_5422505_n.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q4UAlDgrWZg/UIoEosyV-qI/AAAAAAAAALg/fwzQbNGiNik/s400/231165_10150165961906020_5422505_n.jpg" height="365" width="400" /></a>She was wonderful artist who painted epic, beautiful landscapes. I used to go into her studio and look at all of the oils, paints and colors. Look and never touch. Grandpa <span class="il">Johnson</span> kept her artwork around his house throughout all of my childhood, even though they divorced when I was about ten. Grandpa was abusive (and I imagine Grandma was, too) but he loved my Grandma her whole life, and he was devastated when she passed. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Grandma <span class="il">Johnson</span> moved down to New Mexico and was there for a few years. This gave her enough time to reconnect with my mother, and to form a relationship with my sisters. She came to Texas for Christmas one year to celebrate with me and my then-fiancé/now-husband (who she never did like). It was a great holiday, but she was diagnosed with cancer immediately after. I’ll always wonder if the trip was what made her so sick, after a six hour drive from Alamogordo to Lubbock and back again. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">The cancer was pretty terrible, but she fought it the best she could. My family took care of her, and I’m so glad that they were able to spend this time together. I have guilt feelings about not being there to help out, but I’m proud of my family for being so loving and strong through those hard times. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">When I was a baby and toddler, she took care of me. We were very close. She would feed me ice cream and let me play with kittens. I loved her very much. She gave me her mother’s jewelry, my Great-Grandma Lonie. The last time I saw her, her psychosis from the cancer was setting in. She was barely coherent. She was not the strong, fiery woman I knew. I’ll always regret those last moments. The women who took care of me in my infancy, I was unable to help her in her old age.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">She wasn’t happy in New Mexico, and though it was a painful decision for her and for my mother and sisters, Grandma moved back to Oregon to die. She was back with her sisters, the alcoholism and drugs, but this is where she wanted to be. My mom was able to fly up there and say goodbye. When she died, her family pawned all of her belongings. I was able to get some of her jewelry, and I put this out in a bowl on my altar every year with her mother’s faux pearls, and with Grandma Val’s penguins.<br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>When she died, I was relieved. She had been in pain and fighting for so long. I was so glad she was finally at rest. Her cancer was terrible, and it was killing my mom and sisters to be so far away from her, so helpless. Like the true cowgirl she was, Grandma <span class="il">Johnson</span> never stopped fighting, though. I’m sure she’s up there Indian Wrestling angels in heaven and drinking Jesus under the table. And I’m sure that Johnny Cash, one of her favorite musicians, is singing just for her. Because she lived her life like his words – Snooks walked the line.Amanda Morrishttps://plus.google.com/101004080644576836367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8758980024282888982.post-36176005257898195442015-10-15T09:42:00.000-04:002015-10-15T09:42:00.466-04:00Re-Post: "All God's People"<b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://superdupersocialworker.blogspot.com/2012/10/all-gods-people.html">Re-post from my Super Duper Social Worker blog, honoring my Blessed Dead, October 2012</a></span></b><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P_G5qfIk4qQ/UIXhW4cNuEI/AAAAAAAAAKs/DIfzjY_0x-g/s1600/c032cca7-0be6-4945-a2fe-258b53167bb0.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P_G5qfIk4qQ/UIXhW4cNuEI/AAAAAAAAAKs/DIfzjY_0x-g/s1600/c032cca7-0be6-4945-a2fe-258b53167bb0.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/alamogordonews/obituary.aspx?page=notice&amp;pid=148680906" target="_blank"><span class="il">Grandma</span> Val</a> passed away not too long ago. I don’t think she and i ever met until after Mutti and Chris got married. I remember coming home from college to visit my family over the Easter holiday, and I had Easter dinner with my newly mixed family. I had been nervous about meeting my mom’s new in-laws because as with all families, there had been some tension and I can sometimes be defensive of my mother. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Val was shy, and maybe a little introverted. She might not have been overly outgoing when I was there, but she made sure everyone was well fed, and she even surprised me with an Easter basket. This immediately made me feel like I was part of the family, even though I hadn’t lived at home for many years and even though this was the first time I had participated in a Morris/Hanson family event. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">And every time I went home to New Mexico after that, we’d have Sunday dinners with <span class="il">Grandma</span> Val and the family. She’d make a point to take out the good dishes, the wine glasses, always made sure that there was red wine in the house because she knew I liked it, even though she didn’t drink. Grandma Val helped my little sister plan my New Mexico wedding shower, and that meant a lot to me, too. It was a beautiful day, the food was great, and the companionship was even better.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-miXvidZ3FVo/UIXjnIsvf1I/AAAAAAAAAK8/aztldDKMxd0/s1600/180522_10150090919096020_810822_n.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-miXvidZ3FVo/UIXjnIsvf1I/AAAAAAAAAK8/aztldDKMxd0/s320/180522_10150090919096020_810822_n.jpg" height="262" width="320" /></a></div>Sometimes we’d all go out for pizza, and we’d get green chili pizza and Dr. Pepper. My all-time favorite story of <span class="il">Grandma</span> Val is over pizza (with green chilies!) and she said she and Pop-Pop would buy this meal every Friday night and watch Star Trek. I said “oh, Steve and I are watching Star Trek, too. We’re on the episode when Picard does such and such.” And she looked at me and said, “No, Amanda. <i>Star Trek.</i> The <i>real</i> Star Trek, with the <i>real</i>Captain. The <i>only</i> Captain.”<br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">The Friday night after <span class="il">Grandma</span> Val passed away, we ordered pizza. I drank Dr. Pepper. We watch Star Trek. The <i>real</i>Star Trek. With the <i>real</i> Captain.&nbsp; </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div>Val had cancer, very terrible cancer. It was hard on my family when she was sick because they had just gotten over the shock of our Grandma Johnson's long fight with cancer as well. But they took care of her, sat with her until the end, and prayed for her when the local priest would not. I found out about her passing while I was at work, and after my shift I went to the Duke Chapel and spent some time in there after lighting a candle for her. Later, a bishop friend of mine performed a mass in her name, and assured me she is at rest, at peace, and at One.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tZ43t0bRqWY/UIXkA2xpUSI/AAAAAAAAALE/h2ZxkjGiF90/s1600/180846_10150090923696020_7957379_n.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tZ43t0bRqWY/UIXkA2xpUSI/AAAAAAAAALE/h2ZxkjGiF90/s320/180846_10150090923696020_7957379_n.jpg" height="320" width="243" /></a>I have some of her jewelery, some penguins, and a lovely mauve/purple colored ceremonial communion chalice of hers that I claimed last time I was in New Mexico.&nbsp; This Samhain season I honor her by including her jewelery with that of my blood grandmothers, who get a special bowl of jewels on my altar every October.<br /><br />Grandma Val was a friend to my mother, a grandmother to my sisters, and a strong matriarch to the Hanson/Morris clan. I'm sad I wasn't able to spend more time with her, but I'm glad for the time we did have. I'm thankful for her in that she took care of my family when I was not there to do it. She loved her family very much, blood and otherwise. She is an example of the saying I grew up with, <i>"mi casa es su casa"</i>.<br /><br />And after a long, extremely painful fight, I'm glad she is at rest. <b>Blessings, love, and honor to Grandma Val!</b>Amanda Morrishttps://plus.google.com/101004080644576836367noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8758980024282888982.post-11516337173554375852015-10-08T09:43:00.000-04:002015-10-08T09:43:00.585-04:00Re-post "Heaven for Everyone"<b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://superdupersocialworker.blogspot.com/2012/10/heaven-for-everyone.html">Re-post from my Super Duper Social Worker blog, October 2012, honoring my Blessed Dead</a></span></b><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S6jeSopPUmM/UHOqrw7zRzI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/IuYYbIr4wOw/s1600/RayBradbury.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S6jeSopPUmM/UHOqrw7zRzI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/IuYYbIr4wOw/s400/RayBradbury.jpg" height="400" width="357" /></a></div>October and November are times to honor the blessed dead, and the first Blessed One I'd like to honor is Ray Bradbury.<br /><br />The first sci fi book I ever read was War of the Worlds, and the second was the Martian Chronicles. Reading these books marked a turning point in my life, and fundamentally helped to create who I am. I wrote my senior paper on Bradbury, and he came up often in college papers, too. Regretfully, I haven't read a lot of his more contemporary writings, but I've read a whole lot of his sci fi short stories.<br /><br />He's one of my favorite people ever, and one of my favorite writers (the others including Neil Gaiman and Frank Herbert). Bradbury's writing is beautiful, tragic, inspiring, amazing. He crafted worlds and stories and places and things that are unforgettable. Even the most alien of his subjects is familiar. He had a gift of looking into people's hearts and writing what was to be found there.<br /><br />When he died this past spring, I cried. I had had a terrible day at work. I was probably sick. I was anxious. I was depressed. It was one of those days when everything that could go wrong, went wrong. So after a terrible morning behind the bar, I sat down at my desk and read the headline.<br /><br />And I cried.<br /><br />And I was so angry because I was so busy and so behind that day, I couldn't properly mourn him. The tears came but I had to fight them back because how could I say "I can't go to the bank today. My favorite writer died." or "I can't go to this meeting because this author who was very old passed away."<br /><br />I cried on my way home from work, and sometimes I still get teary-eyed when I think about Ray Bradbury and his passing. I have not yet properly mourned this man who was like an uncle to me - far away and distant, yes, but still influential. Still familiar.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--a1C4427awQ/UHOp-JpPdhI/AAAAAAAAAKI/YNoLd899h7g/s1600/ray_bradbury_by_artemisiasynchroma-copy.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--a1C4427awQ/UHOp-JpPdhI/AAAAAAAAAKI/YNoLd899h7g/s400/ray_bradbury_by_artemisiasynchroma-copy.jpg" height="343" width="400" /></a></div>Last October I read a lot of horror and scary literature, which included re-reading a lot of Bradbury (Something Wicked This Way Comes, The October Country, and other short stories). Nothing captures October so well as Something Wicked This Way Comes. Just open your eyes. You'll find them, the October People. They're there. Doing their October thing. They come out every year.<br /><br />I found a cheap copy of The Halloween Tree, so I put away a book club read and started reading this Bradbury Classic.<br /><br />Where has The Halloween Tree been all my life? Truthfully, I've been too busy reading everything else by him to find time for this one, but since it's probably the only book I'll be reading all month (despite having both Rosemary's Baby and the Stepford Wives waiting on my bookshelf) nothing could be more appropriate.<br /><br />Bradbury tells the story of Halloween perfectly, with all of its myth and magic. No words of mine can do him justice, so here he goes in one particularly memorable section:<br /><br /><i>A dark creature struck the sun one dreadful blow.</i><br /><i>The sun died. It's fires went out. </i><br /><i>The boys ran blind in darkness.</i><br /><i>Yeah, thought Tom, running, sure, I mean, I think, every night, the sun dies. Going to sleep, I wonder, will it come back? Tomorrow morning, will it still be dead?</i><br /><i>The boys ran. On new pillars dead-ahead, the sun appeared again, burning out an eclipse.</i><br /><i>Swell! thought Tom. That's it! Sunrise!</i><br /><i>But just as quickly, the sun was murdered again. On each pillar they raced by, the sun died in autumn and was buried in cold winter.&nbsp;</i><br /><i>Middle of December, thought Tom, I often think: the sun'll never come back! Winter will go on forever! This time the sun is really dead!</i><br /><i>But as the boys slowed at the end of the long corridor, the sun was reborn. Spring arrived with golden horns. Light filled the corridor with pure fire.</i><br /><i>The strange God stood burning on every wall, his face a grand fire of triumph, wrapped in golden ribbons.</i><br /><i>"Why, heck, I know who that is," panted Henry-Hank. "Saw him in a movie once with terrible Egyptian mummies!"</i><br /><i>"Osiris!" said Tom.</i><br /><i>"Yessss....." hissed Moundshroud's voice from the deep tombs. "Lesson Number One about Halloween. Osiris, Son of the Earth and Sky, killed each night by his brother Darkness. Osiris slain by Autumn, murdered by his own night blood.</i><br /><i>"So it goes in every country, boys. Each has its death festival, having to do with seasons. Skulls and bones, boys, skeletons and ghosts. In Egypt, lads, see the Death of Osiris, King of the Dead. Gaze long." </i><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>So we drink a toast to you, Uncle Ray. Thank you for the books and the words and the worlds and the memories and dreams. Thank you, unendingly, for the inspiration. I always wanted to write you a letter, and I never did. I'll always regret that. Twenty years I had the chance and I never took it. So, this season, I drink to you. I write for you. I read for you.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qOwnqs_LTSc/UHOpxsLJjgI/AAAAAAAAAKA/cjiBImayaqA/s1600/ray_bradbury_death_tribute_art_drawing_max_miller-500x800.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qOwnqs_LTSc/UHOpxsLJjgI/AAAAAAAAAKA/cjiBImayaqA/s1600/ray_bradbury_death_tribute_art_drawing_max_miller-500x800.jpg" /></a></div>You are among my honored dead. Amanda Morrishttps://plus.google.com/101004080644576836367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8758980024282888982.post-60733040292402299292015-10-01T09:45:00.000-04:002015-10-01T09:45:00.058-04:00Re-Post: "All Dead, All Dead"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.neatorama.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/pumpkin2b-500x555.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.neatorama.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/pumpkin2b-500x555.jpg" height="320" width="288" /></a></div><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://superdupersocialworker.blogspot.com/2012/10/all-dead-all-dead.html">Re-post from my Super Duper Social Worker Blog, October 2012 </a></span></b><br /><br />October is a special month. We re-adjust to our new work and school schedules. Though the weather might still be uncomfortably warm (like right now in North Carolina!) it starts to vary up between hot, cold, muggy, crisp, perfect, bright, lovely, wonderful. Everything becomes pumpkin flavored and colored. (Steve and I had the most amazing pumpkin custard at Goodberry's this week. Pumpkin, waffle cone, whipped cream, pecans and caramel. Oh yum.)<br /><br />There are parties and decorations and costumes and concerts and community events. Maybe, just maybe, people have more fun in October than any other month of the year. <br /><br />Maybe this draw to fun, parties, and community comes from a primal need for us to all come together this time of year. Mother Nature is giving one last push of her bounty before the winter season finally settles over the land. And then that's it. And that's pretty scary, and maybe we need one another to cope, to remind ourselves <i>"no, we're not dead yet! look, we live!"</i><br /><br />October in all of its beauty is a season of inevitable change. It reminds us that in order for something to be so amazingly fun and awesome, it can't last forever. All things are created and all things are destroyed. October in all of its bright colors and festivities dances on the edge of life and death.<br /><br />Some Catholics celebrate All Souls Day and All Saints Day as a way to honor the blessed dead. For the ancient Celtic and other European tribes, this time of year was the time to bring in the last of the harvest and to prepare for a long, cold winder. Herds were culled down and farmers were forced to decide which animals would live through the winter and which ones would not. This practice gives us one folk name of October's full moon - the Blood Moon. <br /><br />So, for all of our celebration, for all of our fun and candy, October is a time for us to come together as a community, to cling to one another as if it's a matter of life or death because maybe it really is.<br /><br />Because yes, October is fun. But sometimes the winter is not. And yes, we're alive now. But nature is dying, and we are, too. <br /><br />October is a time to embrace our lives. It is a time of community and harvest, and of death and shadows. We are confronted with the glory of life and death every hour and every minute of October. The pumpkins shine like giant golden moons. The leaves in many places are still green, but in others they are red, yellow, brown. <br /><br />In our modern world it's hard to imagine having to slaughter animals and make choices of life and death for the winter. We can just go to the grocery store and buy fruits and vegetables and bacon and just forget all about it. But for a few moments, imagine your ancestors. Imagine how they felt about the change in the season, from summer to autumn, and then to the dark, cold winter. Think about the fear of the unknown they must have felt, the certainty of death within their lives<br /><br />October teaches us to not be afraid when confronted with our own mortality. Yes, we're alive. Yes, we'll die. Life and death are <i>both </i>gifts. And in October, celebrate. Eat, drink and be merry because the seasons are changing, because tomorrow we, or someone we love, might die. Follow your primal urges in October to make the most of this month and this season.<br /><br />Watch scary movies. Listen to gothic music. Wear black. Decorate your house in skeletons and skulls. Tell stories of your blessed dead. Toast to the ancestors. Go to parties. Stay up late. Don't get enough sleep. Drink too much. Eat apples and bacon. Look at a pomegranate. Carve a pumpkin. Snack on the seeds. Wear a costume. Spook yourself out. Take a walk. Smell some dirt. <br /><br />Do not hide from the shadow or death. Confront it. Laugh at it. Laugh with it. <br /><br />Because, like all of nature, we will die. We will be taken in. But next season, we will be reborn. Amanda Morrishttps://plus.google.com/101004080644576836367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8758980024282888982.post-42082910014613486702015-10-01T07:00:00.000-04:002015-10-01T07:00:06.936-04:00"the best thing in life is knowing you put it together"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pWyD0MVPc6o/VgtRQ_x_4UI/AAAAAAAACKU/KHbWaCcCAUo/s1600/super%2Bduper%2Bspace%2Bwitch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pWyD0MVPc6o/VgtRQ_x_4UI/AAAAAAAACKU/KHbWaCcCAUo/s320/super%2Bduper%2Bspace%2Bwitch.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Please be sure to check out my latest post over at Pagan Square/Witches and Pagans.&nbsp; This one is about planting seeds, gathering your harvest, and what happens when your harvest isn't what you expected.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://witchesandpagans.com/pagan-culture-blogs/cosmic-love/remember-who-you-want-to-be.html">"Remember who you want to be."&nbsp;&nbsp;</a></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;">And while you're over there, check out my previous posts, too!</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">&nbsp; </span></div><h1 class="blog-title rip" id="title-4645" itemprop="name" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://witchesandpagans.com/pagan-culture-blogs/cosmic-love/them-summer-days-those-summer-days.html"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Them Summer Days, Those Summer Days</span></a></span></h1><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://witchesandpagans.com/pagan-culture-blogs/cosmic-love/a-lavender-story.html">A Lavender Story</a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://witchesandpagans.com/pagan-culture-blogs/cosmic-love/speaking-to-the-stars.html">Speaking to the Stars </a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://witchesandpagans.com/pagan-culture-blogs/cosmic-love/welcome-to-sumerisle.html">Welcome to Summerisle!&nbsp;</a></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://witchesandpagans.com/pagan-culture-blogs/cosmic-love/mundane-mysticism.html">Mundane Mysticism</a></span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://witchesandpagans.com/pagan-culture-blogs/cosmic-love/thank-you-friends.html">Thank You, Friends!</a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://witchesandpagans.com/pagan-culture-blogs/cosmic-love/pagan-health-survey.html">Pagan Health Survey</a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://witchesandpagans.com/pagan-culture-blogs/cosmic-love/self-care-tips-from-the-space-witch.html">Self-Care tips from the Space Witch</a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://witchesandpagans.com/pagan-culture-blogs/cosmic-love/go-round-and-round-round-and-round.html">"Go round and Round, Round and Round..."- a travel charm!</a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://witchesandpagans.com/pagan-culture-blogs/cosmic-love/anxiety-and-the-black-god.html">Anxiety and the Black God (a very seasonal Lughnasadh story!)</a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://witchesandpagans.com/pagan-culture-blogs/cosmic-love/melancholia-moon-dreams-and-the-goddess.html">Melancholia, Moon Dreams, and the Goddess</a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://witchesandpagans.com/pagan-culture-blogs/cosmic-love/space-witch.html">Space Witch - a rock concert experience</a></span></div><br />Amanda Morrishttps://plus.google.com/101004080644576836367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8758980024282888982.post-70288779827562163632015-09-30T15:24:00.000-04:002015-09-30T15:24:00.089-04:00Re-Re Post about Gnosis!<br /> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X0aDcwc_oWY/VO1WX8AM7TI/AAAAAAAABmc/94BZmn37Xr8/s1600/Roman-mosaic-know-thyself.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X0aDcwc_oWY/VO1WX8AM7TI/AAAAAAAABmc/94BZmn37Xr8/s1600/Roman-mosaic-know-thyself.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="http://thepaganexperience.com/march-writing-prompts/">WK 1- Mar. 2 - Knowledge,Wisdom and Gnosis&nbsp;</a>- <i>What do these words mean to you? How do express these principles in your spiritual work? Is any one more important than the other? Why?</i></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">Sometimes I tell people that Wicca is my religion but my spirituality is Gnosticism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The problem with this, however, was that very few people know what I mean when I say I am a Gnostic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Sometimes I don’t know what I mean, either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>What I do know, however, is the feeling I get when I read the <a href="http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/gth_pat_rob.htm">Gospel of Thomas </a>or <a href="http://gnosis.org/naghamm/thunder.html">Thunder, Perfect Mind</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I know that Gnosticism did more than just help me to reconcile any anxiety I had about my torrid Christian past.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It opened up a whole new trajectory for my future, in this life and beyond.</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">Identifying as a Gnostic doesn’t mean I can’t practice Wicca or be a witch or I had to change anything about my life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>If anything, it gives me more options.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I can pretty much enter into any religious ritual or ceremony and feel perfectly at home because it’s like God speaks to me anywhere and everywhere I go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>We’re surrounded by myths and stories and archetypes, and Gnosticism gave me the lexicon with which to understand what God was saying through these tools.</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">Here’s what Gnosticism is not – despite what you may have read in a billion Neo-Pagan books, we don’t believe that we are aliens from another planet who got stuck on earth because of the evil Demiurge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>For some reason every time I read a Neo-Pagan book that mentions Gnosticism, they always have these ridiculous concepts of what Gnosticism is and it really pisses me off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Saying that Gnostics believed they were aliens is such an oversimplification, and furthermore, that’s literalist thinking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>If the Gnostics do anything, it’s reject literalist thinking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">When the ancient Gnostics wrote about being from “some other place”, they were talking about pieces of themselves, what we’d call Aggregate Structures in the <a href="http://www.esotericmysticism.org/">Esoteric Mysticism system</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>So these pieces are part of greater, more complete and permanent pieces of the Cosmos, and we are made up of these aggregate structures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>But aggregate structures aren’t of this world; they’re of something more than this world and beyond this world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Alien just means outsider, because we’re not of this world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>This world is an illusion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>So we nurture and foster these permanent structures because they will help us to return to the True Source, which is not of this world or this existence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">So as a Gnostic I’m not recreating some science fiction story where I’m looking for my mothership to take me home beyond the stars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I just recognize those greater pieces of me that are part of the Cosmos, and I can use those pieces to help me forge a greater bond to Deity, which is beyond this time and space.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>By engaging in Gnosis, in knowing, I recognize that piece of me, and I know how it relates back to the Source.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I can begin to see past the illusions of this reality, and I KNOW.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Gnosis is a place beyond logic or thought or feeling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It just is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It’s certainty with every fiber of your being because Gnosis is every fiber of your being.</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">Sophia, or Wisdom, plays a great role in Gnostic teachings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>In some Gnostic myths (since there are so many of them because the Gnostics loved to write and re-write and re-write myths) Sophia is a piece of the Monad, the oneness that is the Cosmos and all things and no things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>But she messed up a little and creates the Demi-urge, the little maker.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The Demiurge doesn’t know it’s connected to the Oneness (like many of us do not know we are connected to the Oneness) so he creates this world, but it’s a shitty world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>So Sophia feels bad and she tries to help the Demiurge’s creations, who would be Adam and Eve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>She helps them by putting a piece of herself in them, a powerful and permanent aggregate structure that is a piece of Wisdom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>This piece that is within us all is closer to the Oneness than Sophia’s own flawed creation, the Demiurge, who is the creator in some myths (such as the Christian creation story.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">So what is Wisdom?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Wisdom is Sophia realizing she made a mistake and having the grace to try to fix it the best she can.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Wisdom is thoughtful compassion which guides action.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">And knowledge is just the fact that I read all of this stuff in lots of books over the years, that I can regurgitate it to you in a blog post.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Knowledge of these mysteries prepared me for them, but it took a long time for me to have the Wisdom to understand, and even longer for the Gnosis to settle itself permanently into my being.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I’m not just some flawed creation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I am a being of light and Wisdom, connected to the Cosmos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I am a Gnostic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>If you’re interested in reading more, I’ve written a lot about Gnosis and the Gnostics over the years.&nbsp; You can find more about these topics at the following links:</b></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span><br /><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span><br /><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><a href="http://superdupersocialworker.blogspot.com/2013/04/good-company.html">The Gnostics</a></b></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span><br /><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://superduperspacewitch.blogspot.com/2014/06/review-hidden-wisdom-guide-to-western.html"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Review – Hidden Wisdom: A Guide to the Western Inner Traditions by Richard Smoley and Jay Kinney&nbsp;</span></a></span></b></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><br /><b><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></b><br /><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://superdupersocialworker.blogspot.com/2013/01/dont-lose-your-head.html">The Bible</a></span></b></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><b><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></b><br /><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://superdupersocialworker.blogspot.com/2012/08/christo-what.html">Christo-what?</a></span></b></div>Amanda Morrishttps://plus.google.com/101004080644576836367noreply@blogger.com0